Eight of the 11 rescue personnel who went missing after two inflatable boats capsized in the swollen Bethupalli Peddacheruvu in Khammam district were rescued by Thursday morning (November 5, 2026) following a strenuous, overnight search operation. Two more persons have been traced, and efforts are under way to bring them to safety.
A search operation was still on to trace another missing person.
The incident occurred when two inflatable boats carrying 11 personnel including those from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Services, capsized in the swollen rivulet while the rescue teams were attempting to evacuate five fishermen stranded in the floodwaters on Wednesday evening (November 4, 2026).
The five fishermen were later rescued by an NDRF team.
Khammam Collector Divakara T.S. who supervised the late-night rescue operation, told the media that five persons had been brought to safety at 3 a.m. on Thursday (November 5, 2026), while three others were rescued later in the morning.
