Four tourists from Chattisgarh drown in Godavari river in AP

Four of a family, including a woman, from Chhattisgarh, on a tour of Andhra Pradesh, met with a watery grave while bathing in river Godavari today.

The deceased were from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, police sources said.

Meanwhile, State Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa expressed grief over the tragedy.

He spoke to the West Godavari district police officials and sought details of the incident, a release from his office said.

Rajappa directed the authorities to make required arrangements to shift the bodies to their native village.

A police official told PTI that the four came to Sivagiri under Polavaram mandal and stayed in a private resort to visit the picturesque 'Papikondalu' in the river.

This morning, they got into the river, close to the resort, for a bath and accidentally drowned, the official said.

Villagers jumped into the waters and fished out the bodies before informing the police.

Police said the resort did not have a valid licence and complaints were made against it on earlier occasions, but to no avail.