Telangana Bethupalli Boats Capsize: SDRF Personnel Feared Missing in Khammam Flood Rescue

Bethupalli boats capsize is the developing story from Telangana on November 5, 2026: about 10 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Services personnel are feared missing after two rescue boats capsized during an operation to save fishermen stranded in a swollen lake in Khammam district. The incident happened on Wednesday evening at Bethupalli lake in Sathupalli mandal, where heavy rain linked to Cyclone Murasu had pushed water levels sharply higher.

A caution runs through every report: the exact missing number differs between sources, some saying 10 and others 11 including local guides, with a Thursday morning local update narrowing the still-untraced group to six SDRF personnel and a guide, with four Fire Services personnel found safe. This post reports those differences honestly, because the search was still ongoing and officials had not issued a single final count.

Bethupalli Boats Capsize: How the Rescue Went Wrong

The rescue began when fishermen entered Bethupalli lake to set up fishing nets, and the water level suddenly rose, leaving them stranded. Reports say the lake was overflowing, with water flowing around three feet above its spillway, after continuous rain under the impact of Cyclone Murasu in Khammam district, which borders Andhra Pradesh.

An initial Fire Services team went out to the fishermen, and according to several reports its boat suffered engine failure. A larger Kothagudem team then launched two boats, rescued the first crew, and was heading for the remaining fishermen when both boats capsized in strong currents, sweeping the personnel into the reservoir, and in one account into the Thammileru stream.

The fishermen are reported safe: several reports say all five, and one local update all eight, were rescued. That is the one clear positive: the people the rescue set out to save got out, while the rescuers themselves became the missing.

Search Operation: NDRF, SDRF and Drones at Bethupalli Lake

• Khammam District Collector Divakara T S and other senior officials rushed to the spot and are supervising the operation on site.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed, with units from Bhadrachalam and Kothagudem joining SDRF and Fire Services in the search.
• Drones were reported to be dropping life jackets to people in the water as part of the search effort.
• Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said rescue teams had identified the possible location of the missing personnel and that they would be rescued safely.
• Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy enquired about the incident, asked the District Collector to make all efforts to rescue the personnel, and directed Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju to monitor the situation.
• Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar confirmed that NDRF personnel had been deployed and were carrying out rescue operations on a war footing.

Sathupalli MLA Matta Ragamayi also joined the efforts at the site. The collector, ministers and central deployment together show this is a full mobilisation, not a routine operation.

Why the Numbers Differ, and What Is Not Yet Confirmed

Different figures in different reports are normal in the first hours of a flood rescue. The Press Trust of India report said about 10 SDRF personnel were feared missing, citing official sources. Others put the total at 11, counting local guides. A Thursday morning local update, citing the Sathupalli MLA, said six SDRF personnel and a guide remained untraced, with four Fire Services personnel found safe nearby.

No death toll has been confirmed. The missing are described as feared missing, not confirmed dead. The honest summary is: around 10 to 11 rescue personnel were on the two boats, several were found safe, a group remains untraced, and the search continues.

Cyclone Murasu and the Flood Risk Behind the Incident

Bethupalli lake did not overflow in isolation. Khammam has had heavy rain under Cyclone Murasu, which weakened into a depression over east Telangana and adjoining coastal Andhra Pradesh, with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Telangana, including Bhadradri Kothagudem. Swollen lakes and strong undercurrents turn a fishing trip into a rescue, and a rescue into a tragedy.

For people in the region today: floodwaters rise fast, currents in an overflowing tank are far stronger than they look, and rescue boats are at risk when a spillway runs three feet over. Stay away from swollen lakes and streams, do not attempt a private rescue in floodwater, and call disaster response teams instead.

Bethupalli Boats Capsize: Frequently Asked Questions

Bethupalli boats capsize is still a live rescue, not a closed story. The fishermen are safe, the search continues, and the next official update, not speculation, will settle how many remain untraced.