Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu assures families of seven fishermen missing at sea... Relief operations underway under the supervision of District In-charge Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu... Extensive search operations coordinated with the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Police...

.               SRINIVAS SPL Correspondant 
Allavaram: Indian News Times :District In-charge Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu stated that the state government is conducting relief and search operations on a war footing to safely bring back the seven fishermen who went missing at sea after setting out from the Odalarevu fishing landing center in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. While monitoring the situation on the ground at the Odalarevu fishing landing center in Allavaram Mandal—alongside District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar, Joint Collector Y. Khom Nidiya Devi, District SP Rahul Meena, MP Ganti Harish Madhur, local MLA Aithabathula Anandarao, Mummidivaram MLA Datla Buchiraju, and Fisheries Commissioner Rama Shankar Naik—he assured the families of the missing fishermen that the government stands firmly with them. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Atchannaidu emphasized the need to work towards reassuring the families of the missing fishermen, in accordance with the directives of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.  He directed the State Fisheries Department, district administration, police, and marine wings to intensify search operations in constant coordination with the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. On August 3, seven fishermen set out to sea for fishing from the Odalarevu fishing landing center in the boat **IND-AP-E8-MO-135 (Mutyalamma boat)**. The fishermen on board were Kopanathi Ramakrishna, Kollati Yesudasu, Palepu Santhosh Rao, Karri Rambabu, Kollati Srinubabu, Sangadi Tata Rao, and Ponadi Satish. The affected families informed the Minister that all of them hailed from the Amalapuram and Mummidivaram constituencies.

Although they had told their families they would return within ten days, the families grew anxious when the boat failed to return even after the scheduled time had passed. Following a complaint lodged with the police on August 17, District Collector Dr. R. Mahesh Kumar responded immediately and initiated search operations.Five Coast Guard vessels, two Indian Navy ships, and two state-of-the-art Navy aircraft are currently conducting extensive search operations to locate the missing fishermen.  Minister Atchannaidu assured that a continuous search operation is underway, scouring a sea area spanning approximately 300 nautical miles to locate the missing boat and fishermen. Coordinated efforts are being undertaken in collaboration with the coastal security agencies of Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam. He stated that the search radius is being expanded by taking into account factors such as ocean currents, weather conditions, and the likely path the boat might have taken. Recently, information was received regarding the sighting of a yellow-colored boat named 'Mutyalamma' approximately 15 nautical miles off the coast of Paradip, Odisha. Officials have responded promptly and dispatched a special team to verify whether this is indeed the boat belonging to the missing fishermen. The district administration remains in constant contact with the families of the missing fishermen; District In-charge Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu is regularly reviewing the situation and has directed officials to ensure that all necessary assistance and support are provided to the families.

The government stands firmly with the families, keeping them updated with the latest information regarding the search operations. The Fisheries Minister urged the families not to panic, assuring them that the search efforts would continue until the fishermen are safely located and brought back to shore.  The Minister stated that the State Fisheries Department has announced that the government's primary objective is the safe rescue of the seven fishermen; to this end, the State government, district administration, Fisheries Department, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police, and coastal security agencies are coordinating to conduct continuous search and rescue operations. Amalapuram RDO A. Saralavathi, AMUDA Chairman Allada Swami Naidu, Information and Public Relations Officer Ch. Srinivas, Fisheries Department JD Karunakar, Fisheries Department AD Ramanarao, FDO Sivaramakrishna, MROs, alliance leaders, Fisheries Department staff, and others participated in this event.