Gedala Appa Rao, a 40-year-old fisherman from Kakinada, fought a desperate battle for survival for 12 hours while swimming in the Bay of Bengal before being rescued.
Appa Rao and the other five crew members went fishing in Machilipatnam before returning to the dock at Sakhinetipalli to sell the fish they had caught. They returned to the water on Tuesday afternoon. However, Appa Rao was absent when the boat's crew discovered it the following morning.
Meanwhile, a fisherman was discovered struggling in the water by some Rajipeta village fishermen from Anakapalli Mandal who was fishing from Antarvedi harbor. Appa Rao was saved and transported to safety by the group. The B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema District's Government Hospital in Razole received his admission.
In response to nature's call on Tuesday night, Appa Rao told the other fisherman that he became fatigued and accidentally fell into the water due to the high waves. Before being rescued on Wednesday morning, Appa Rao attempted to save himself by swimming in the water for about 12 hours.
The fishermen who saved Appa Rao were hailed by relatives.
