Palakkad (Kerala), April 11 Hundreds of people paid their last respects to Shrinanda, a 10th-grade student, who had gone missing during a family trip to the Chandradrona hill range in Karnataka and was later found dead, at her residence in this northern Kerala district.
The girl had been missing since Tuesday evening after she went trekking at the hill viewpoint in the neighboring state.
A large number of people, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and local residents, gathered at her house in Kadambazhipuram, where her remains were kept for the public to pay their respects.
Relatives and friends were inconsolable when the body was taken for cremation. Locals said the deceased was actively involved in both academic and extracurricular activities at her school.
According to the Karnataka police, Shrinanda's body, first spotted with the help of a drone camera, was found in a deep gorge estimated to be over 1,500 feet near a waterfall, not far from the spot where she was reported missing.
Police said an investigation is underway to determine whether the death was due to an accidental fall into the gorge or any other cause, with all possible angles being explored.
The girl was part of a group of around 40 relatives who had traveled from Palakkad for the trip.
