22 Workers Rescued from Peddavagu Floodwaters, Four Tamil Nadu Fishermen Found Dead

Twenty-two workers stranded in the swollen waters of Peddavagu were rescued safely following a coordinated operation by the West Godavari district administration, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police. The rescue was carried out with the intervention of local MLA Chirri Balaraju, while District Collector K. Vetriselvi personally monitored the operation until all the workers were brought to safety.

The workers, belonging to Reddiganapavaram and Kanakapuram villages in Buttayagudem mandal, were returning after completing work at oil palm plantations when they encountered flooding near the Routhugudem bridge in Jeelugumilli. The bridge approach road had been washed away by the powerful currents of Peddavagu, leaving them stranded with no safe route to return.

NDRF personnel, along with revenue and police officials, rushed to the location and used a JCB machine to evacuate the workers. They were subsequently shifted to a cyclone rehabilitation centre in Buttayagudem, where food and medical assistance were provided.

Meanwhile, a separate tragedy unfolded off the Andhra Pradesh coast, where four of the nine missing Tamil Nadu fishermen have been found dead after their fishing boat capsized amid severe weather conditions caused by Cyclone Murasu. Search operations are continuing to locate the remaining five fishermen, Prakasam District Collector P. Rajababu said on Thursday.

The fishermen had left Chennai on October 29. Following cyclone warnings, four boats were moved to Andhra Pradesh, with three anchored at Ramaayapatnam and one at Nizampatnam. Although their safety was confirmed on November 2, the nine fishermen aboard the Nizampatnam-based boat reportedly headed towards Ramaayapatnam on November 3 without informing authorities. Their vessel subsequently capsized in strong winds and rough seas.

Three bodies were washed ashore near Kothapatnam beach, while the fourth was recovered during search operations. The bodies are being shifted to a Government General Hospital mortuary for identification. Tamil Nadu officials are travelling to Andhra Pradesh to complete the identification process and coordinate the handover to families.