Meghalaya SDRF recovers body from Wahniangleng river after four-day search

A four-day search operation by the Meghalaya State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) ended on July 26 with the recovery of the body of a missing person from the Wahniangleng River near Phra Mer in Mylliem.

The body was retrieved at around 7:10 am on July 26 after rescue teams resumed the operation, which had been temporarily halted a day earlier due to strong river currents and unsafe conditions.

The search began on July 22 after authorities received information that a resident of Phra Mer had gone missing. SDRF personnel, assisted by Mawngap Police and local residents from Laitkroh and Phra Mer, carried out extensive searches in the river and surrounding gorges.

Search teams also deployed a rubber inflatable boat to cover stretches of the Wahniangleng River from Mawphlang Dam. Despite extensive operations on July 23 and 24, covering both upstream and downstream sections, no trace of the missing person was found.

Local residents spotted the body on July 25 in a confined section of the river. SDRF personnel immediately launched a recovery attempt but were forced to suspend the operation because of hazardous water conditions.

Following the successful retrieval on Sunday morning, the body was handed over to Mawngap Police for legal formalities, according to a press release issued by the Directorate of Civil Defence and Home Guards, Meghalaya.