The body of the second tourist Madhav M, who drowned in Sela Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district was recovered on Saturday morning, a day after a tragic accident claimed the lives of two youths from Kerala, official sources said.
A joint search operation resumed around 8 am on January 17, involving teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Bomdila, the Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the district police. Four divers from the SDRF and the Army were deployed for the operation.
Officials said the search was initially hampered by poor underwater visibility and extreme cold conditions, but the body was later located and retrieved. With this, both victims have now been recovered and confirmed to be from Kerala.
According to police, the incident occurred on January 16 when a seven-member tourist group visiting Sela Lake ventured close to the frozen water body. Superintendent of Police D.W. Thongon said one member of the group accidentally slipped into the lake and began drowning. Two others — identified as 26-year-old Dinu (also known as B. Prakash) and 24-year-old Mahadev (also referred to as Madhav M) — entered the icy water in an attempt to rescue him.
While the third tourist managed to come out safely, Dinu and Mahadev were swept under the frozen surface of the lake.
The district administration received information about the incident around 3 pm on Friday, following which a joint rescue operation was launched. Despite harsh weather, sub-zero temperatures and low visibility, rescuers managed to recover Dinu’s body on the same day. The search for Mahadev was suspended after nightfall and resumed the next morning.
The bodies have been kept at the Jang Community Health Centre, where post-mortem examinations are being conducted.
SP Thongon said warning signboards have been installed at Sela Lake and other tourist locations, clearly advising visitors not to walk on frozen water bodies. He added that the district administration had issued an advisory in December cautioning tourists that frozen lakes are unsafe, as the ice may be unstable and incapable of supporting human weight.
Situated at an altitude of over 13,000 feet, Sela Lake remains a major tourist attraction, but authorities reiterated that it poses serious risks during winter due to extreme cold and fragile ice cover.
