Vijayawada: At least 26 were feared dead after a boat carrying 38 people on board capsized at Pavitra Sangamam ghat in river Krishna on Sunday.
Initial reports say that the death toll has already reached 26 and 16 bodies have been recovered. 12 people were either rescued by local fishermen or swam across.
The search operations are still on and the NDRF teams reached the spot with the directions of district collector B Lakshmikantham.
The incident happened at the spot where Krishna and Godavari rivers meet. The passengers were going from the Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangamam to witness Pavitra Harati, a daily ritual attracting thousands of tourists, reported The Times of India.
The boat was said to be overloaded and the buoyancy of water changed at the Pavitra Sangham which led to the imbalance.
It is the deepest point in Krishna river downstream of Nagarjunasagar.
Among the dead, seven members are said to be women. Most people on the boat were aged between 50 to 55. Miraculously, the boat driver Suribabu escaped.
Most of them are said to be from Ongole town in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district. The boat belongs to a private agency Simple Water Sports.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his grief over the mishap and ordered officials to speed up the rescue operations.