Two schoolboys drown in Chatjo River in Tirap, search on for third

Itanagar: A massive multi-agency search and rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district led to the recovery of a second schoolboy's body from the Chatjo River on Monday, while efforts are still under way to trace a third student who remains missing, officials said.The tragedy unfolded on Saturday noon when a group of three boys, all students residing at a school hostel in Deomali, went to the river for a bath. According to Deomali assistant commissioner Indira T Riba, the children were permitted to leave the hostel premises earlier that morning to get haircuts.However, the river was swelling dangerously due to torrential monsoon rains that have battered the region over the past week.The body of 12-year-old Paupwang Aana was recovered by residents on Saturday itself. On Monday, rescuers retrieved the body of 13-year-old Ngowang Kakho.Tirap DDMO Emily Tingkhatra said Kakho's body was spotted by villagers near Puberan village and was subsequently retrieved by the rescue team. The third boy, 12-year-old Phosam Wangno, is yet to be found.The initial search on Sunday by the State Disaster Response Force, police and residents was severely hampered by fierce river currents.

By Monday, the operation scaled up significantly into a massive joint sweep. Personnel from the SDRF, National Disaster Response Force, Indian Reserve Battalion, Assam Rifles, local police and community volunteers combed the downstream stretches of the river.The DDMO confirmed that the search operation for the missing teenager will resume on Tuesday morning.Meanwhile, following an active weather alert issued by the India Meteorological Department for Tirap district, the local administration issued a strict advisory warning residents, especially youngsters, to steer clear of vulnerable water bodies.-