18-year-old student missing at Meenvallam waterfall in Palakkad; search operation underway

PALAKKAD: An 18-year-old student went missing after being swept away by strong currents in the Thuppanad River while visiting the Meenvallam waterfall in Palakkad. The missing student has been identified as Ahmed Isa, son of Safalil Zubair of Chandranagar, Palakkad.

The incident occurred around 5 pm on Friday. Ahmed Isa, who was visiting the waterfall with a group of friends, had entered the river to take a bath when he was caught in the strong current.

After he went missing, his friends alerted nearby residents. Local residents, along with the Kongad Fire and Rescue Services and Kalladikkode police, reached the spot and launched a search operation. Despite continuing the search into the night, the student could not be located.

The river was flowing strongly as water had been released from the check dam at the Meenvallam power station. The search operation was also made difficult by the rocky terrain, small tunnels and roots spread across the rocks. As darkness set in and the current remained strong, the search operation was later suspended. Officials said the search will resume tomorrow with the help of a scuba diving team.