ITANAGAR, 4 Apr: The body of a youth who went missing after being swept away by the strong currents of the Tissa river in Tirap district was recovered on Saturday following a joint search operation by the NDRF, SDRF and local authorities.
The body of Laichat Wangpan (25), a resident of Chasa village, was recovered from the river near Otongkhoa village by a joint team of the 12th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Khonsa, an official report informed here.
Earlier, the body of his elder brother Wangthoa Wangpan had been recovered from the river on 2 April during the initial phase of the search operation.
The operation was led by NDRF Inspector Prabir Amani and SDRF regional centre Khonsa in-charge Assistant Sub-Inspector Yumto Pulong, the report said.
The incident took place on Wednesday when the two brothers were returning home after travelling to Chopnu village along with three others to purchase meat for Laichat’s wedding, which was scheduled to take place on 7 April.
While returning with two cattle, three members of the group managed to cross the river safely.
However, Wangthoa reportedly slipped and fell into the river. In an attempt to rescue him, Laichat jumped into the water, but both were swept away by the strong currents near Chajanpong point.
The remaining members alerted villagers and relatives, following which missing reports were lodged with the SDRF and other agencies, prompting the launch of a search operation.
The search effort was initially carried out by the SDRF Tirap team, in coordination with the district administration, the district disaster management authority (DDMA), Khonsa and villagers from Chasa, Holam, Kapu, Longo, Ozakho, Noksa, Paniduria, and nearby areas.
Despite continuous efforts, the younger brother could not be located during the initial search.
Subsequently, the 12th Battalion NDRF joined the operation on 4 April and, with the support of the SDRF team and local villagers, managed to recover the second body from the river.
Family members of the victims and residents of Chasa village expressed appreciation for the efforts of the NDRF, the SDRF Tirap team, the DDMA, the district administration and disaster management community volunteers for successfully carrying out the search operation, the report added. (PTI)
