10 rescuers missing after two boats capsize in flood-hit Khammam, Telangana

Bad news has come from Telangana's Khammam district just before Diwali. A team of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire brigade personnel who had gone to rescue fishermen stranded in floodwaters met with an accident themselves. Relief work was under way in a strong current when two of the team's boats capsized. Preliminary information is that 10 personnel are missing, and a rescue operation is under way in war-like conditions to find them.

According to the information available, some fishermen had been trapped amid floodwater in a pond in Khammam district. SDRF and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot to bring them out safely. The personnel were trying to rescue the fishermen with great courage. During this, the water level in the pond suddenly rose sharply and the current became stronger. As a result, the personnel's boat overturned.

Before the boats capsized, some personnel had already got into the water to search for the fishermen, while others were aboard the boats. It is feared that 10 personnel have been swept away in the accident.

After the accident, the administration began rescue work immediately with the help of local people. During the operation in the pond, three fire brigade personnel were pulled out safe. But 10 personnel are still missing, and every effort is being made to find them.

Six more SDRF personnel and four fire brigade personnel have reached the spot to search for the missing. Local guides who know the area well are also actively involved in the operation.

Given the seriousness of the incident, senior district administration officials and the local MLA have also reached the site and are monitoring the situation themselves. An additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has been called in to bring out the missing personnel as quickly as possible. Helicopters and motorised boats are being used to search the area around the pond closely.

Continuous heavy rain and floodwater are causing some technical difficulties in the rescue work. Even so, the personnel and administration officials are working tirelessly to find their missing colleagues. The tragedy has cast a pall of gloom over security agencies in Telangana and across the country, and prayers are being offered for the safe return of the missing personnel.