A file photo of a canal in Andhra Pradesh.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The body of an eight-year-old boy who was swept away in the Galeru-Nagari canal at Ramapuram village in Owk mandal on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) was retrieved on Thursday (September 17, 2026), while efforts to trace his father and his uncle, who were washed away trying to save him, continued for the second consecutive day.
The three, all members of the same family, had gone to the canal to spend some leisure time and watch the flow of water, the police said. Aarush, 8, lost his balance while playing and fell into the canal. His father, Afroze, 36, jumped into the water to rescue him, and Afroze’s brother-in-law, Ashiq, 32, entered the canal after them. All three were swept away by the current.
The canal was carrying about 3,200 cusecs of water at the time of the accident, officials said.
Afroze and Ashiq were labourers at stone-cutting factories at the Owk mandal headquarters.
Roads and Buildings Minister B.C. Janardhan Reddy, who has been monitoring the rescue operation since the accident, visited the spot on Thursday morning and consoled the family members. Assuring them of all possible support, the Minister directed officials to intensify the search for the two men, and asked that the rescue effort be speeded up by deploying expert swimmers and rescue personnel alongside National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.
నంద్యాల జిల్లా గాలేరు–నగరి కాలువలో పడి ముగ్గురు యువకులు గల్లంతైన ఘటన స్థలాన్ని సందర్శించాను. బాధితుల కుటుంబ సభ్యులను పరామర్శించాను. జిల్లా అధికారులతో మాట్లాడి సహాయక చర్యలను ముమ్మరం చేయాలని ఆదేశించాను. ప్రత్యేక ఈతగాళ్లు, రెస్క్యూ సిబ్బందిని రంగంలోకి దించి గల్లంతైన వారి ఆచూకీ కోసం…
— BC Janardhan Reddy Official (@bcjrofficial) September 17, 2026
Acting on Mr. Janardhan Reddy’s directions, officials have stepped up measures to locate the missing men. Nets have been laid downstream of the canal as part of the search.
Officials said that with Aarush’s body retrieved, they expected the two others to be traced soon.
Published – September 17, 2026 04:46 pm IST
