- India,
- 05-Nov-2026 08:51 AM IST
A major and tragic accident has been reported from Khammam district in Telangana, sending shockwaves through the administrative circles of the entire state, while according to official and detailed information that has come to light, a major mishap took place in Bethupalli Lake, located within the Sathupally mandal area of Khammam district. Here, two boats belonging to the State Disaster Response Force, commonly known as SDRF, suddenly capsized in the water while they were engaged in an operation to safely rescue and evacuate some fishermen who were trapped inside the lake, while ever since this severe accident occurred, as many as 10 constables of the SDRF have been reported missing.
The Tragic Accident Occurred During a Fishermen Rescue Mission
According to the details emerging regarding the incident, the entire sequence of events took place at Bethupalli Lake situated in the Sathupally mandal of Khammam district. Five fishermen had gone into this lake for some work and had unfortunately gotten trapped in a crisis situation. To save the lives of these five fishermen, SDRF teams were immediately dispatched for urgent relief and rescue operations. As the SDRF personnel were attempting to reach those fishermen using their boats, strong winds blowing across the area and the extremely high flow of water caused their balance to falter, resulting in two SDRF boats suddenly capsizing in the water. Due to the boats overturning, the security personnel onboard fell into the water, following which a total of 10 constables went missing.
Search Operations by Divers and Rescue Workers Proceeding on a War Footing
As soon as the news of the boats capsizing in Bethupalli Lake and the security personnel going missing spread, panic ensued among the local administration and disaster management departments, while immediately after the incident, professional deep-sea divers and other trained rescue workers were deployed on a war footing. All these rescue teams and divers are continuously diving into the cold waters of the lake day and night in an effort to search for the 10 missing constables. Along with this, several senior administrative officers and police officials have also rushed directly to the accident site and are closely monitoring the overall situation. An atmosphere of tension and anxiety has prevailed in the entire area ever since this accident took place.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy Takes Strict Cognizance and Issues Directives
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has taken very serious cognizance of this tragic incident in Khammam district. He immediately issued strict directives to the concerned officials and the administrative machinery to take all necessary steps to accelerate the relief and rescue operations. The Chief Minister specifically instructed the District Collector of Khammam district to deploy all available resources without any delay and ensure every possible effort is made to safely pull out all the missing SDRF personnel from the water. Also, the Chief Minister has also issued explicit instructions to the Chief Secretary of the state to periodically review this entire situation and keep updating him with minute-to-minute reports.
To recall, prior to this, another tragic accident was reported from Ranga Reddy district in Telangana. A major mishap had occurred during a Dandia event in Ranga Reddy district, where a heavy arch erected for lighting purposes suddenly collapsed and fell down. That accident had resulted in the untimely death of a female student while leaving approximately 12 people seriously injured. Now, this latest incident in Khammam has once again raised serious questions regarding security arrangements and emergency preparedness.
State Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy Expresses Deep Concern
State Revenue, Housing, and Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has expressed deep concern over the incident of SDRF boats disappearing and capsizing in Bethupalli Lake under the Sathupally assembly constituency of Khammam district. Issuing a statement, he stated that they're continuously monitoring and reviewing the developments regarding the drowning of SDRF boats and the disappearance of personnel in Bethupalli Lake. The Minister further stated that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has already reviewed the entire sequence of events and has instructed the District Collector to undertake all relief measures on a war footing to safely rescue the SDRF personnel at any cost.
Specific Coordination and Safety Instructions Issued to Officials
Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy further shared that he has instructed the concerned officials to further accelerate the relief measures and search operations in that specific area. Along with this, he has also asked the officials to ensure that all necessary safety equipment and modern boats are made available at the accident site without any delay so that there are no hurdles in the rescue operations. The Minister has given strict directions to senior officials of all related departments to work with mutual coordination and synergy so that the missing SDRF personnel can be traced and rescued as safely and quickly as possible.
While speaking to the media, the Minister also mentioned that he's continuously speaking to the District Collector over the phone and reviewing the progress being made in the relief and rescue operations. Continuing his statement, he stated that he will personally visit the accident site tomorrow morning to ground-level assess the entire situation himself and oversee the ongoing rescue work. Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has explicitly made it clear that the topmost and supreme priority of the state government at this moment is to safely bring back all the missing SDRF personnel.
