14-Year-Old Kerala Girl Found Dead in Karnataka Gorge

A 14-year-old Class 10 student from Palakkad, Kerala, was found dead in a deep gorge in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district on Friday, four days after she went missing during a family trek in the Chandradrona hill range.

Srinanda, a resident of Kadambazhipuram, disappeared around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday near the Manikyadhara waterfalls viewpoint. She was part of a group of about 40 relatives who had traveled from Palakkad for a holiday that included visits to sites like Hampi. Family members last saw her during the hike as dusk approached, and initial searches by the group until around 8 p.m. yielded no results. They reported her missing to local police shortly after, prompting a large-scale operation.

Authorities mobilized around 60 teams, including police, forest department personnel, the State Disaster Response Force, fire services, and local volunteers. The effort involved thermal drones, rope access teams, and ground searches across steep, forested terrain. Investigators also reviewed call records, identified about 240 vehicles in the area that day, and seized mobile phones from her parents for examination. Challenges such as fog, dense vegetation, and rugged slopes hampered...