Godavari boat mishap: Toll climbs to 28 after Andhra Pradesh officials recover 16 more bodies; 18 yet to be traced

Amaravati: The toll in the tourist boat accident in river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh mounted to 28 on Tuesday with the recovery of 16 bodies, while 18 others feared drowned were yet to be traced. The post-mortem has been conducted on 27 bodies and they were handed over to the victims’ relatives, the State Disaster Management Authority said in a release on Tuesday night. The SDMA said the ill-fated private boat was carrying 73 passengers, including eight crew. Of the total, 27 survived the tragedy and were admitted to hospital for treatment of wounds and also trauma counselling. It said two teams of NDRF, three of SDRF and one deep divers team of the Indian Navy, were engaged in the search operation. An Uttarakhand SDRF team of specialist deep divers carrying side-scan sonar equipment was also engaged in the operation. Director General of Police Gautam Sawang conducted an aerial survey of the boat capsize area at Kachhuluru on Tuesday afternoon and later visited the victims undergoing treatment in the government hospital at Rajamahendravaram.