Palakkad, 10 April (H.S.):In a tragic development, the body of 15-year-old Malayali student Sreenanda, who had gone missing in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district, was recovered on Friday from a deep gorge, bringing an end to an intense multi-agency search operation.

The body was found at a depth of nearly 1,500 feet below the viewpoint near the scenic Manikadhara waterfalls, where the girl was last seen on Tuesday evening. Rescue teams comprising the police, fire and rescue services, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had launched a coordinated search effort early Friday morning, combing the treacherous terrain from the base upwards.

Sreenanda, a native of Kadampazhipuram in Kerala’s Palakkad district, had been visiting the tourist site along with her parents and a group of around 40 relatives. According to family members, she was with her parents until about 5:20 p.m., but went missing within minutes, triggering panic among the group.

Initial suspicions raised by the family pointed towards the possibility of abduction, prompting the police to widen the scope of the investigation. The Kerala Police also joined the search operations to assist local authorities. On Thursday, drone-based surveillance was carried out, scanning areas up to 300 feet deep in the Bababudangiri hills.

After hours of search on Friday, the body was finally located in a remote and steep section below the hills, near the Harsan Guppe region. Efforts are currently underway to retrieve the body from the gorge, a process expected to be challenging due to the difficult terrain.

Sreenanda had recently completed her Class 10 examinations and was awaiting her results. The incident has cast a pall of grief over her hometown and raised concerns about tourist safety at high-risk viewpoints. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances leading to her death.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman