Koppal, Karnataka: Dr. Ananya Mohan Rao, a 26-year-old physician from Hyderabad, went missing on Wednesday morning after jumping into the Tungabhadra River near Sanapur village in Gangavathi taluk. Dr. Rao, employed at VKC Hospital in Hyderabad, was on vacation with friends Ashita and Satwik. The group arrived at a private guesthouse near Sanapur on Tuesday evening. The following morning, they decided to swim in the river behind their accommodation.
According to local sources, Dr. Rao jumped into the river from a nearby rock cliff without any safety gear or life jacket and was swept away by strong currents. The area is known for its rocky terrain, and it’s suspected she may have become trapped among submerged rocks. Her friends captured the incident on a mobile device, showing her leap and subsequent struggle.
Rescue operations involving police, fire department personnel, and local divers commenced immediately but were suspended at nightfall due to darkness. The search is set to resume on Thursday, with plans to deploy drone cameras and involve diving experts from outside the district. In response to the incident, the Koppal district administration has temporarily halted all water activities, including swimming and coracle rides, in the area.
Local tour operators claimed the organizing staff discouraged Dr. Rao from jumping, as the water flow had increased after release from the dam. Over the past few days, the Tungabhadra Dam has been discharging excess water to Andhra Pradesh, leading to higher water levels.
“Ananya insisted on jumping without a life jacket, stating that she had done similar jumps before. The rock she jumped from is 20 feet high, and the water flow was strong. The organizers requested her to wear a life jacket, and while the staff was collecting the gear, she jumped. So far, there has been no trace of her,” said a tour operator from Sanapur.
Authorities suspect that Dr. Rao might have been trapped in underwater rock formations, as the river flows through rocky caves in that area. Despite extensive searches by local divers and fire department personnel until Tuesday evening, no trace of her was found. Police stated that they are seeking assistance from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to continue the search operations.
The Gangavathi Rural Police have registered a case and are conducting further investigations.
For more updates on this incident, you can watch the following video:
