Bethupalli Lake Drama: 8 Fishermen and SDRF Personnel Rescued After Overnight Ordeal
NDRF teams successfully rescue eight fishermen and SDRF personnel who went missing during a flood rescue operation at Bethupalli Lake in Telangana.
In a high-stakes rescue mission that spanned overnight, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) successfully saved eight individuals, including fishermen and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, who had gone missing at Bethupalli Lake in the Sathupalli mandal of Telangana's Khammam district. The group was brought to safety early Thursday morning, ending a period of intense anxiety for their families and authorities.
A Rescue Mission That Went Wrong
The crisis began on Wednesday when a group of fishermen became stranded in the swelling floodwaters of Bethupalli Lake. In an effort to save them, an SDRF team was dispatched to the scene. However, the operation took a dangerous turn when the boats carrying both the stranded fishermen and the rescue personnel disappeared in the waters.
The disappearance of the rescue team alongside the victims transformed a standard rescue operation into a critical emergency, prompting an immediate escalation of efforts.
High-Level Intervention and Coordination
As news of the missing boats spread, the situation drew the attention of top government officials. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy closely monitored the developments, inquiring about the status of the SDRF boats. The Chief Minister directed the District Collector to intensify all search efforts and instructed the Chief Secretary to maintain a continuous review of the operation to ensure no one was left behind.
Adding to the coordination efforts, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar intervened to expedite the rescue. He spoke with Khammam District Collector Divakar to assess the ground reality and coordinated directly with senior NDRF officials to ensure the deployment of specialized teams.
"Deeply concerned over SDRF personnel going missing during an operation to rescue fishermen stranded in floodwaters at Bethupalli Lake... NDRF personnel have been deployed and are currently carrying out rescue operations on a war footing," stated Bandi Sanjay Kumar in a post on X.
The Final Breakthrough
Working on a "war footing," the NDRF teams combed the lake throughout the night. Their persistence paid off at approximately 5:30 am on Thursday morning, when all eight missing persons were located and safely rescued from the water.
Khammam Police confirmed that the rescue operation has been officially completed. In a relief to the state, the authorities reported that there were no casualties resulting from the incident.