By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Four days after a youth drowned in the Umiam Lake when the boat in which he was sitting along with his cousin, capsized, his body is yet to be traced.
The victim, 19-year-old Vishnu Thapa from Wah Kdait, Malki locality, went along with his two cousins to attend the Autumn Festival on Sunday. According to the relatives, the trio, who had gone to Umiam to attend the Festival, decided to enter the venue through Nehru Park.
They took a country boat owned by two villagers who also accompanied them.
When the boat reached the middle of the lake it was caught in the waves created by a motor boat which passed through the lake several times. The country boat overturned as a result of the waves.
A local fisherman who witnessed the incident rushed to the rescue of the occupants but could save only four lives as Thapa had already drowned.
Thapa, who is employed as a security guard with SS Netcom, an internet service provider and call center in Shillong, is the lone bread earner in his family.
Divers from the State Fire Service department have not been able to trace the body even after four days since they have been searching in the periphery of the lake and avoiding deep diving as they lack proper equipments, relatives informed on Wednesday. Search was further hampered due to the adverse weather condition.