Body of Kerala tourist retrieved from high-altitude Arunachal lake

The body of the second tourist from Kerala, who drowned in a high-altitude lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district on Friday, was recovered on Saturday (January 17, 2026) morning.

Identified as 26-year-old Madhav M., he was part of a Tawang-bound group of seven tourists. Police said he drowned while trying to rescue a fellow tourist from drowning after the thin layer of ice on the lake cracked under his weight.

Another tourist, identified as Binu, died on Friday (January 16, 2026) trying to help Madhav pull out the third person, who survived the ordeal at 13,700 feet.

Tawang Superintendent of Police D.W. Thongon said that a combined team of district police, State Disaster Response Force, Indian Army, Sashastra Seema Bal, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police retrieved Madhav’s body from the frozen Sela Lake.

“After the post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to their friends and relatives. The bodies are being taken to Guwahati [more than 350 km away] by road and then possibly flown to Kerala for the last rites,” he said, adding that the autopsy reports were expected in two to three days.

A vehicle of the State’s Health Department was used to transport the bodies to Guwahati.

Mr. Thongon stated that the district administration would write to the State government proposing to barricade the lake.

“Tourists become excited after arriving at the scenic Sela. We often issue advisories, and there are warning signboards advising them to stay off the frozen lake,” he said.

The five remaining members of the group of tourists were accommodated at the Army camps in the area.