A pall of gloom descended on a bylane in the Maharanipeta area of Visakhapatnam on Sunday evening as people gathered at the house of Madhupada Ramana Babu, a 35-year-old cab driver, who along with 10 other members of his family, was missing in the boat tragedy near Devipatnam in East Godavari district on Sunday.

Anxiety mounts

Ramana Babu, his wife Aruna Kumari, 26, two children M. Akhilesh, 7, a class III student and M. Kushali, 4, an LKG student, along with other eight members of their family, who are residents of Arilova, Anakapalle, and Vepagunta were on a trip to Papikondalu when the incident occurred.

The other members of the family were identified as Sushmita, 4, Dalamma, 35, Appalanarasamma, 50, Ananya, 3, Geeta Vaishnavi, 5, Pushpa, 13, Bonda Lakshmi, Poorna, 22. After coming to know about the tragedy, the relatives of Ramana gathered at his house at 4. 30 p.m. “We came to know about the tragedy through media. We received a phone call from officials, who said that one person, B. Lakshmi, was traced and rescued,” said K. Roopa, a family member.

“They had been planning to go to Papikondalu for the last two years, but it did not work out. Even last month they planned it, but they had to cancel it due to rains,” said K. Gowri Sankar, a family member.

“Second Saturday and Sunday being holidays, they planned the trip,” Mr. Gowri Sankar added. M. Lakshmi, another family member, wailing inconsolably, said that she was repeatedly cautioning them against going the place keeping in view the recent heavy rains.