PALAKKAD: A steady stream of people moved through a modest house in Kadampazhipuram on Saturday morning, each waiting for a final moment with Sreenanda, the 15-year-old whose sudden death during a trip to Karnataka has left the locality shaken.
From the early hours, relatives, neighbours, classmates and teachers gathered, filling the house and courtyard. Many stood quietly, while others broke down, struggling to process the loss of a girl remembered for her bright smile, academic promise and active participation in school activities. For her parents, Ramesh and Rohini, and elder brother Sachin, the grief was overwhelming.
The arrival of the ambulance carrying Sreenanda’s body plunged the area into deep grief, as mourners gathered in large numbers around the house.
The body was placed for the public to pay their last respects. By afternoon, the mortal remains were cremated at Ivarmadam in Thiruvilwamala, marking the end of days of anxious search and lingering uncertainty.
Sreenanda, a tenth standard student at the Kadampazhipuram High School, had set out on April 4 with her parents and relatives forming a group of 40 people for what was meant to be a holiday.
After visiting Hampi, the group reached the Manikyadhara viewpoint in the Baba Budangiri hills of Chikkamagaluru on Tuesday evening. It was there, in a narrow window between 5.20 pm and 5.30 pm, that she went missing.
When the members regrouped, she could not be found. A search operation was launched immediately, involving the Karnataka Police, a Special Branch team from Kerala Police, forest officials and disaster response teams. Drone cameras were used to scan the steep terrain.
After three days, her body was located on Friday in a gorge nearly 1,500 feet deep at Harshana Guppe. The postmortem report stated that the cause of death was severe head injury on the right side, along with multiple fractures and injuries across the body, consistent with a fall. Officials said there were no indications of assault.
Investigators suspect that she may have fallen from a point about 20 metres away from the designated viewpoint. A relative said she had earlier crossed a safety barricade and was brought back after being warned. It is believed she may have returned to the same area when others were not watching.
Though the family had initially raised concerns over possible foul play, authorities have maintained that the findings point to an accidental fall, even as further checks continue.
