Eighteen young people found themselves in a perilous situation when they were stranded by surging floodwaters of the Penna River near Nellore’s Bhagat Singh Colony. The group had ventured into an island-like area for recreation on Monday evening, around 5:30 p.m., only to be suddenly encircled by rapidly rising waters by 7:30 p.m.
Promptly alerted by local community leaders, officials from the RDO and Nawabpet (Two-Town) police swiftly mobilized to initiate rescue efforts. Even Minister Ponguru Narayana personally contacted officials for updates on the incident. Under the direct supervision of Superintendent of Police Ajitha Vejendla, a comprehensive joint operation involving personnel from the Police, Fire, and Revenue departments was launched at 8 p.m.
Initially, upon seeing the rescue teams, the stranded youths panicked and began moving towards the deeper river water. However, police officials calmly instructed them to remain composed. To aid the rescue, Irrigation department staff took immediate action to close flood gates, thereby reducing the intensity of the water flow. Nawabpet Circle Inspector Venugopal Rao and his dedicated team bravely descended from the bridge into the river using a rope ladder to directly assist the trapped youngsters.
After a strenuous and coordinated effort throughout the night, all 18 individuals were successfully brought to safety by 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning, concluding a challenging seven-hour rescue mission.