New Delhi, 18 August 2026: Dr. of Andhra Pradesh B.R. Ambedkar: A fishing boat carrying fishermen from Konaseema district has gone missing in the sea. These fishermen had left from Odalrevu in Allavaram mandal on the 3rd of this month and were to return in ten days. When they did not return, their families informed the authorities.
Coastal police and fisheries department officials have launched an operation to search for the missing fishermen. State Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister K. Achannaidu has instructed officials to further intensify search and rescue operations by using all available resources. Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has also expressed concern about this incident.
According to the information received, this hodi is Ramakrishna Varmani from Kopanathi of Komaragiri Patnam village of Allavaram Mandal. He himself was riding in the boat and driving it. This boat had gone for fishing on 3rd August from Odalrevu Jetty, the confluence of Wante River and the sea.
The fishermen had taken with them enough ration and diesel to last for about 15 days, so it was expected that they would return by 13 August. However, the boat did not return at the scheduled time and no contact has been made with the fishermen since then. It was found that their mobile phones were switched off and the GPS system installed on the boat was also not working.
When the boat did not return even after four days of the scheduled date, the owner's family informed the Odalrevu Coastal Security Police and the district administration. Subsequently, Konaseema District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar sought help from the Indian Coast Guard based in Visakhapatnam to locate the boat and rescue the fishermen safely.
According to preliminary information, it is believed that this boat had gone for fishing in the waters between Visakhapatnam and Paradweep. The Fisheries Department has also confirmed that a total of eight fishermen including the boat's owner Ramakrishna Verma were aboard the boat.
The Collector has directed the officials of the Fisheries Department to immediately start a search operation in collaboration with the Coast Guard. He has also asked them to coordinate with District SP Rahul Meena and immediately pass on any information received from the boat owner, his family or other fishermen to the Coast Guard and other rescue agencies. The Collector has also instructed the officers to keep a constant eye on the situation and inform the administration as soon as they get any information regarding the safety of fishermen.
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