Second Kerala tourist recovered from Sela Lake, Arunachal Pradesh tragedy
Second Kerala tourist recovered from Sela Lake, Arunachal Pradesh tragedy
Second Kerala tourist's body recovered from frozen Sela Lake as authorities consider barricades and stronger warnings at the high-altitude site.
The body of the second Kerala tourist, Madhav M., 26, was recovered Saturday morning from the frozen Sela Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district after a rescue attempt that left two tourists dead. He drowned while trying to pull a fellow traveler from the lake after the ice cracked beneath them, with another tourist, Binu, dying on Friday while attempting to help a third person who survived.
A combined rescue operation involving district police, State Disaster Response Force, the Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police retrieved Madhav’s body from the 13,700-foot-deep lake. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to friends and relatives and will be transported to Guwahati by road, with possible air transport to Kerala for last rites.
Officials said the district administration would write to the State government proposing to barricade Sela Lake. They noted that tourists are drawn to the scenic site, but warn of dangers on the ice, which has thin sections. The five remaining members of the group were accommodated at Army camps in the area. Sela Lake remains a popular destination, but authorities plan a formal safety review and clearer advisories to prevent repeats of such tragedies.
