Three persons, including a mother-son duo, were feared drowned in the Godavari river at Mothe village in Burgampadu mandal on Friday evening.
A woman and her two sons from Chandrugonda arrived at the pushkar bathing ghat in Mothe by hiring an autorickshaw late on Friday afternoon.
The trio ventured into the Godavari and soon got trapped in the strong undercurrent in the river.
The woman and her elder son were swept away in the river while the locals managed to rescue the younger son of the woman, sources said.
The autorickshaw driver was also feared drowned in the river while trying to rescue the mother-son duo, sources added.
Burgampadu police immediately launched a search operation in the river soon after the incident, but could not trace the trio, when reports last came in.