The bodies of two young tourists from Kerala have been retrieved from the high-altitude Sela Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, after three from their group fell in on Friday when the frozen surface of the lake cracked as they ventured onto it.
The body of one of them, identified as Binu Prakash, 26, was retrieved during rescue operations on Friday afternoon.
The operation, suspended at 5 pm on Friday due to darkness and resumed at 8 am on Saturday, involved the police, the State Disaster Response Force, the 24 Jat Regiment of the Indian Army, the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The body of a second tourist, identified as Madhav M. (23), was retrieved at around 10 am on Saturday. A case of unnatural death has been registered by Tawang police.
The seven-member tourist group is stated to have left Kerala for the Northeast on January 13. Of them, five — including Binu — were employees of a Toyota showroom in Kottiyam.
According to Tawang SP D.W. Thongon, the group was travelling from Guwahati towards Tawang. He added that preliminary investigations found that the two deceased had gone forward into the lake to try to rescue their friend, identified as Anandu, who had gone ahead first and fallen in.
Two Kerala tourists drown after Arunachal’s frozen Sela Lake cracks under their weight
“They had hired a traveller from Guwahati and reached Sela Lake yesterday afternoon. As per the preliminary investigation, initially one of the boys entered the frozen lake. When it cracked and he fell in, two of his friends who were nearby went to help him. The first boy who fell in managed to come out with the help of other people, but the other two drowned,” he said, adding that the tourist who escaped was given medical assistance at the Baisakhi Military Station in Tawang.
Sela Lake is located at an altitude of over 13,000 feet above sea level and is among several high-altitude lakes frequented by tourists in Tawang. With the surfaces of these lakes freezing in the region’s sub-zero winter temperatures, the district administration had issued advisories in December warning tourists not to step onto frozen lakes.
“On December 17, the district administration issued an elaborate advisory asking tourists not to venture onto frozen lakes because they are not yet strong enough to bear weight. At all such lakes in the district, we have put up signages clearly stating that no one should enter. We have also briefed stakeholders, including tour operators and taxi drivers, so that they can discourage such attempts,” the SP said.
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While victim Binu Prakash worked at Kottiyam in Kollam, Madhav was a native of Vallikkunnu in Malappuram and a software engineer at Bosch Global Software in Coimbatore.
Apart from Madhav, one other person, Shyamjith, was from Malappuram.
Madhav’s relative Nishanth said the bodies will reach Guwahati early Sunday morning. “After embalming, the bodies will be flown to Kerala. The disaster management authorities in Arunachal Pradesh have made all arrangements,” he said.
Sukrita Baruah is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Guwahati. From this strategic hub, she provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of India's North East, a region characterized by its complex ethnic diversity, geopolitical significance, and unique developmental challenges.
Expertise and Experience
Ethnic & Social Dynamics: Deep-dive coverage of regional conflicts (such as the crisis in Manipur) and peace-building efforts.
Border & Geopolitics: Tracking developments along India’s international borders and their impact on local communities.
Governance & Policy: Reporting on state elections, tribal council decisions, and the implementation of central schemes in the North East.
Specialized Education Background: Prior to her current role, Sukrita was a dedicated Education Correspondent for The Indian Express in Delhi. This experience provided her with a sharp analytical lens for:
Policy Analysis: Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) and university-level reforms.
Student Affairs: Covering high-stakes stories regarding campus politics, national entrance exams, and the challenges within the primary and secondary education sectors. ... Read More
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India.
Expertise, Experience, and Authority
Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes:
Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration.
Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules.
Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
