Tragic Incident at Tawang: Second Tourist's Body Recovered from Frozen Lake

Recovery Operation in Tawang District

On Saturday morning, authorities in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, recovered the body of a second tourist from the frozen Sela Lake. This was confirmed by local police.

The police reported that a joint search operation resumed at 8 AM after being halted the previous evening due to poor visibility.

According to Tawang's Superintendent of Police (SP) D.W. Thongon, the operation involved the army, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Bomdila, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and district police.

Four divers from the SDRF Bomdila and army personnel were deployed for the search. The SP noted that visibility issues underwater initially hampered the search efforts, but around 10:10 AM, the body of the second tourist was located.

The deceased are identified as Dinu (26) and Mahadev (24). Their bodies are currently undergoing post-mortem examinations before being handed over to their families.

They were part of a seven-member tourist group that had traveled from Guwahati to Tawang. One member of the group slipped on the frozen lake and began to drown. Dinu and Mahadev attempted to rescue him, while a third tourist managed to escape safely, but both Dinu and Mahadev became trapped in the icy waters.

The district administration was alerted to the incident around 3 PM on Friday, prompting a coordinated rescue operation involving district police, central forces, and the SDRF.

Thongon mentioned that warning signs have been placed at Sela Lake and other tourist spots, clearly advising visitors against walking on frozen lakes. Additionally, the district administration had issued a warning in December, cautioning tourists about the dangers of frozen water bodies.

Situated at an elevation of approximately 13,000 feet, Sela Lake is a popular tourist destination, but it becomes perilous during winter due to extreme cold and snow.