Browse
Log in / Register
Share
Rajahmundry, India — March 24, 2025 — Four college students lost their lives and a fifth remains missing after the car they were traveling in plunged into the Narasapuram-Nidadavole canal in West Godavari district early Sunday morning. The tragedy occurred just hours after the group had attended a friend’s wedding, leaving a community in shock.
According to the Iragavaram police, the six occupants — five second-year engineering students from Swarnandhra College in Narasapuram — were returning from a wedding in Peravali, East Godavari district. Around 1 a.m., they stopped at Ogidi village to visit a friend. Shortly after resuming their journey toward Narasapuram, the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp turn, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and submerge into the canal.
One passenger, Matta Santosh, a resident of Valluru Thota village in Achanta Mandal, managed to escape by swimming to safety. Police recovered four bodies from the canal later that morning. The deceased have been identified as Nagireddy Dushyanth Sai (18), who was driving the car, Pothula Lakshmi Bhanu Vikas (18), Nagabathula Teja Sai Surya (19), and Veeramallu Sai Venkata Kiran (18). The missing student, Rajaram Ramcharan (17), had completed his intermediate education and was not enrolled in college at the time of the incident.
A case has been registered under Section 106(1) B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation is underway. Local police, joined by divers and rescue teams, continued searching the canal for Ramcharan as of Monday morning. Authorities have not yet determined whether alcohol or fatigue played a role in the crash, though late-night driving on poorly lit rural roads is a known risk factor in the region.
The tragedy underscores a broader road safety crisis in India. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the country recorded approximately 168,000 road fatalities in 2023, with accidents involving heavy vehicles, poor road design, and driver error among the leading causes. In Andhra Pradesh alone, over 13,000 deaths were reported that year, with a significant number occurring on district roads and canalside routes. The Narasapuram-Nidadavole canal road, where the crash took place, lacks guardrails and adequate lighting, a common hazard in rural stretches across the state.
This incident is not an isolated one. In July 2023, a similar plunge into a canal near Kakinada killed five students returning from a late-night outing. Safety advocates argue that frequent midnight travel among young adults, combined with narrow, unlit roads and the absence of barriers, creates a deadly combination. “Every year we see preventable tragedies like this,” said Dr. Aruna Rao, a traffic safety researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. “Investing in basic infrastructure — guardrails, reflectors, and speed humps near water bodies — could save hundreds of lives.”
For U.S. readers, the dangers of nighttime driving on rural roads are also familiar. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 40% of all U.S. traffic fatalities occur during nighttime hours, and single-vehicle crashes into fixed objects (including water) are disproportionately common on two-lane rural roads. While canal barriers are rare in many parts of the world, the underlying issues of driver fatigue, speed, and road design are universal.
The families of the victims are demanding accountability. Local media reported that the parents of Dushyanth Sai, the driver, have questioned why the canal road lacked warning signs or barriers. The Swarnandhra College has announced a day of mourning and is offering counseling services to students. Meanwhile, the search for Rajaram Ramcharan continues, with police using sonar equipment and dragging nets in the murky waters of the canal.
As the community grieves, the incident serves as a grim reminder of how quickly a celebratory night can turn into tragedy. Authorities have urged all drivers to exercise extreme caution, especially on unfamiliar roads after dark. The investigation is expected to examine whether the car’s speed was a factor and whether any mechanical failure contributed to the loss of control.
The missing student’s family remains hopeful but is bracing for the worst. “We are praying for a miracle, but we also want answers,” said Ramcharan’s uncle, who spoke to reporters outside the police station. “No family should have to go through this.”
