Tourist dies after falling into Chandra river while taking selfie in Lahaul-Spiti

A tragic incident occurred on Tuesday evening when a tourist fell into the Chandra river while attempting to take a selfie near Fumman nullah in Lahaul and Spiti district.

The deceased was identified as Nikhil Kumar Vothra (28), a resident of Badmer, Rajasthan.

Upon receiving the information, a police team from the Kokasar police check-post immediately rushed to the scene. Despite an extensive search operation by the district police and local rescue teams that lasted until late evening, the missing person could not be located due to darkness.

Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chaudhary said a joint team, led by Deputy SP Raj Kumar, was constituted to continue the search. The team comprised district police's quick response team (QRT), Atal Tunnel police, NDRF, local rescue teams, Sissu rescue team, Manali mountaineering rescue team, rafting team and fire brigade. The search operation commenced at 8 am in the freezing temperature of -13°C, after previous efforts were made under -19°C conditions.

“After hours of searching, Nikhil’s body was found at around 10:30 am. The body was located approximately 500 m from the site in the river. The authorities have initiated further legal proceedings, and the body was sent for post-mortem at Keylong district before being handed over to the family,” the SP said.

Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar urged visitors to avoid venturing close to the river beds in Lahaul and Spiti to avoid such fatal incidents in near future.