Five youngsters drowned in Raja Tank (Kulai Cheruvu) on Sunday evening when the speedboat they hired for a joyride capsized in the tank.
Expert swimmers engaged to rescue them could save only four of them. Search is on for the fifth one- Mutyala Venkatesh, 22, of Rangampeta. According to the II-Town police, the five-member group from Rangampeta visited the park in the evening and hired a four-seater boat by paying Rs. 20 per head for a span of 20 minutes. They ventured into the tank and continued the ride even after the stipulated time was over. The contractor of the boat service asked them to return to the shore but the youngsters reportedly picked up an altercation with him even as the boat was moving in the water. In the melee, the boat capsized in the tank spread across in about 20 acres and all the five onboard drowned.
Four rescued
The contractor informed the police and officials of the Municipal Corporation. Swimmers were pressed into service who rescued four youngsters. Municipal Commissioner S. Aleem Basha and the police officials are monitoring the search operations.
Five youngsters from Rangampeta had gone to Raja Tank in Kakinada to enjoy a speedboat ride
