Minister for NRI Empowerment and Relations Kondapalli Srinivas supervises the arrival of the Vietnam boat accident victims’ remains at the Shamshabad airport in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The mortal remains of the three Andhra Pradesh tourists who died in the Vietnam boat accident were brought back to their hometowns on Tuesday (July 14, 2026). The bodies arrived at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport via Mumbai at 7.20 a.m. and were taken to their native places in ambulances arranged by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The victims were part of a promotional tour of Vietnam organised by mobile phone manufacturer Lava International for its South India distributors. On Saturday afternoon, the tourist boat carrying 32 Indian tourists capsized off Phu Quoc Island after being caught in strong winds. The dead from Andhra Pradesh were Sridhar from Kadapa, Jayasri from Machilipatnam and Raviteja from Hindupur.
The Andhra Pradesh government extended immediate support to the victims’ families. Since the accident, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh, Minister for MSME, SERP and NRI Empowerment and Relations Kondapalli Srinivas and officials of the AP Non-Resident Telugus Society (APNRTS) remained in constant touch with the Indian and Vietnamese authorities to facilitate the return of the survivors and the deceased.
After the legal formalities at the Mumbai airport, the mortal remains were flown to Hyderabad and handed over to the families. Mr. Kondapalli Srinivas reached Shamshabad Airport on Monday night and remained there through the night, supervising the arrival of the bodies, coordinating their onward transportation and consoling the bereaved families. He assured them of the government’s full support and enquired about their family circumstances.
Speaking at the airport, the Minister said the APNRTS would always stand by Telugu people facing difficulties anywhere in the world. He said the State government had consistently acted to protect the interests of overseas Telugus.
Recalling recent instances, he said Mr. Nara Lokesh had promptly intervened when a Telugu family lost their passports at the Hong Kong International Airport, taking up the matter with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and enabling the issuance of emergency travel documents. During the Nepal crisis, he said, the APNRTS had set up a dedicated war room and played a key role in bringing stranded Telugu tourists home on special flights.
Published – July 14, 2026 05:00 pm IST
