Telangana: NDRF rescues 8 fishermen, SDRF personnel missing in Bethupalli Lake; no casualties

Khammam: Eight fishermen and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel who went missing during a rescue operation at Bethupalli Lake in Sathupalli mandal of Telangana's Khammam district were safely rescued by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams early Thursday morning, police said.

According to Khammam Police, "NDRF teams rescued eight fishermen and SDRF team members who went missing in a lake yesterday. They were safely rescued early this morning around 5:30 am. The rescue operation has been completed and no casualties were reported."

The incident occurred on Wednesday when fishermen were stranded in floodwaters at Bethupalli Lake, prompting an SDRF team to launch a rescue operation. However, boats carrying the fishermen and SDRF personnel went missing during the operation.


Taking note of the situation, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy enquired about the disappearance of the SDRF boats and directed the District Collector to intensify efforts and take all necessary measures to ensure the safe rescue of the personnel.

The Chief Minister also instructed the Chief Secretary to continuously monitor and review the situation, according to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Meanwhile, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar also enquired about the missing SDRF boats and spoke to Khammam District Collector Divakar over the phone. He coordinated with senior NDRF officials for the deployment of rescue teams.

In a post on X, Sanjay said, "Deeply concerned over SDRF personnel going missing during an operation to rescue fishermen stranded in floodwaters at Bethupalli Lake in Sathupalli, Khammam district, Telangana. Spoke to @Collector_KMM Shri Divakar garu to assess the situation and immediately coordinated with senior @NDRFHQ officials for the deployment of rescue teams."

He further said, "NDRF personnel have been deployed and are currently carrying out rescue operations on a war footing. We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in constant coordination with the authorities to ensure the safe return of everyone involved."