HUBBALLI: Two days after a doctor from Hyderabad went missing following a jump into the Tungabhadra River in Koppal, rescue teams recovered her body on Thursday evening.
The victim, Ananya Rao, 26, had come to visit Hampi and nearby places with her friends and was staying at a homestay in Sanapur village, Koppal district.
On Tuesday, she jumped off a cliff into the river but failed to reach the shore.
Despite several attempts, rescuers were unable to locate her, prompting authorities to bring in expert teams. On Thursday, another round of search operations was conducted using multiple resources. The location where Ananya had jumped was surrounded by rocky outcrops along the river, making the search difficult.
Drone cameras were deployed, and local fishermen were roped in. About 10 km of the Tungabhadra River was searched for any traces of her. Authorities at the Tungabhadra Dam minimized water discharge, lowering the river’s water levels to aid the operation. Eventually, the underwater rescue team from JSW located and retrieved Ananya’s body.
Ananya was a close relative of a former Congress MLA from Telangana. He, along with her parents, was present during the search. She had completed her MBBS and was pursuing her postgraduate studies.
A district administration official stated that cliff-diving activities have been halted following the incident. "We have issued a word of caution to tour operators in Koppal regarding safety measures that must be followed during water activities such as river swimming, coracle rides, and cliff jumping."
"Cliff jumping was suspended after the Tungabhadra River's water levels rose due to the discharge of 3,000 cusecs of water over the past four days. Water activities will resume once the levels recede," the official added.