The water currents were strong when the boat upturned in river Godavari which is almost in spate.
A day after a boat carrying 33 people capsized in the river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, six girls, all school students, and a 35-year-old woman could not be found despite multiple teams trying to locate survivors.
Rescue efforts by the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), navy divers, a navy chopper and Coast Guard could not find the girls aged between 12 and 15, and the woman who went missing after a country boat turned over in Godavari in East Godavari district on Saturday evening after hitting a concrete pillar that is part of an under-construction bridge. The water currents were reportedly strong as river Godavari is almost in spate.
Most of the passengers on the boat were schoolchildren who were participaticipating in Vanam Manam, a greenery programme run by the government.
Rescue teams searched for hours before calling off the operation last night after it turned totally dark. The operation which resumed this morning failed to bring any good news.
Island villages of East Godavari like Pashuvulalanka don't have road connectivity and people, including school students, take country boats to travel on the area. There is no concept of life jackets on these boats which are often overcrowded and used to transport cattle, bicycles, bikes, etc. It's quite dangerous on the boats when the river is in spate and the water currents are strong.