[Prem Chetry]
TAWANG, 17 Jan: After an intense joint search operation that lasted for two hours, the body of the second tourist who drowned in Sela Lake in Tawang district on Friday afternoon was recovered on Saturday.
The search operation, which resumed at 8 am on Saturday, was conducted in coordination by the SDRF team from Bomdila (W/Kameng), the Army, SSB, ITBP, and police. Owing to poor underwater visibility and extreme cold conditions, the operation was slowed. However, after two hours of thorough search, the lifeless body of 24-year-old Madhav M was retrieved at 10:10 am.
Jang Police Station OC, ASI Jambey, informed that the body was taken to the Jang CHC for postmortem examination. The bodies of both B Prakash (the other deceased) and Madhav M will be transported to Guwahati (Assam), and will be handed over to their relatives there.
Earlier, on 5 January, a group of tourists deliberately walked on the frozen Sela Lake. Four tourists, including women, fell into the lake. However, their companions promptly managed to pull them out, thereby saving their lives.
Sela Lake is situated at an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet, where oxygen levels are thin, often causing high-altitude sickness, along with other health complications. Additionally, temperatures are extremely low, frequently dropping below zero, and falling into a frozen lake can be fatal.
Despite advisories issued by the Tawang district administration, cautioning tourists against walking on high-altitude frozen lakes such as Sela Lake, Bumla Pass, Shongetser Lake, and PT Tso, such incidents continue to occur.
The advisory also discourages prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and strongly advises individuals susceptible to or diagnosed with high-altitude sickness to avoid visiting high-altitude regions like Bumla and Sela Pass, warning that sudden exposure to high altitudes can cause severe health complications.
