Kasargod: Dashing the hopes and prayers of an entire village, the body of 3-year old Sana Fathima, an Ankanwadi student missing since last Thursday was found today (Wednesday). It was found in Panathur river, two-km away from her house at Bappunkayam, Panathur in Kasargod.
Sana Fathima went missing after she stepped out of her house to go to her friend’s house on Thursday evening. People from across the district and police launched a concerted search. The body was found entangled in ‘puzhavanji’ (willow-leaved water croton) by the riverside at Pavithrankayam, said Rajapuram police. It was sent for autopsy at Pariyaram Medical College.
On Wednesday, swimmers from across the district came to Panathur to launch a concerted search for Sana Fathima. They covered more than 22 km, said Saifudeen M T P, an ace swimmer and civil police officer. “We found the body because the water level in the river was low,” he said.
Police swimmers and residents said the drainage was so steep that it would take just two minutes to reach the river. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Coast Guard personnel were involved in the combing on Tuesday. The assistance of the National centre for Earth Science Studies in Thiruvananthapuram was also sought.
Sana is survived by her father, Ibrahim, an autorickshaw driver in Panathur, and mother Haseena, and a four-month-old brother.
