Two feared drowned in Krishna river in Guntur district; search operation on

Two persons have gone missing and are feared drowned in the Krishna river at Lingayapalem village in Thullur mandal of Amaravati capital region, Guntur district, on Wednesday morning. The missing persons have been identified as Kameswara Rao Prasangi, 19, and Upendra Prasangi, 20, reportedly from the same family. They were among three fishermen who entered the river to retrieve their boat. The third fisherman, Nadikuditi Venkateswarlu, swam to safety and informed authorities that the other two had gone missing. All three were residents of Seethanagaram village in Tadepalli mandal, located on the banks of the Krishna near the Prakasam Barrage.

District Collector S. Nagalakshmi told The Hindu that the administration had launched a search operation with the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to trace the missing persons. “Both were professional swimmers, and locals hope they may have reached the riverbank at some point,” she added.

In view of the river being in spate, Ms. Nagalakshmi held an emergency teleconference with district officials and tahsildars, instructing them to take preventive measures and raise public awareness. Educational institutions in low-lying areas, flood-prone zones, and locations with connectivity issues have been asked to close for a couple of days, with the final decision to be taken at the local level depending on conditions.

The Collector urged residents to remain extremely cautious over the next couple of days, as heavy to very heavy rains have been forecast across Guntur district. On Tuesday, the downpour inundated drainage canals and some roads, causing traffic disruptions. She said officials have been directed to identify vulnerable habitations and shift residents to safer locations if necessary.

District Revenue Officer N.SK. Khajavali reported that parts of Tadikonda, Mangalagiri, and Pedakakani mandals experienced flooding. Heavy water flow caused traffic snarls at the Kaza toll plaza on the Chennai–Kolkata National Highway. In Neerukonda village of Tadikonda mandal, the overflowing Kondaveeti Vagu reportedly swept away three sheep, while 13 others remain missing.