Tourist goes missing after falling into icy river water in Ladakh

Police and army officials begun rescue operations immediately but the icy cold winter of the region have also caused hindrances in the rescue operations.

In a tragic accident, a tourist who had gone on a trip in Leh-Ladakh, slipped into icy waters of a river near Sangam Point on Wednesday while he was sitting on a thin sheet of ice.

The ice sheet collapsed under him, causing him to fall into the water, a report in The Kashmiriyat said.

The tourist has been identified as one Jeenesh Nahar from Bengaluru. The accident took place around 3pm on Christmas day.

Police and army officials begun rescue operations immediately but so far, Nahar has not been traced. The icy cold winter of the region has also caused hindrances in the rescue operations, the report mentioned.

Fresh snowfall on Friday led to the closure of the Srinagar-Leh Highway and intense cold wave-like conditions have prevailed across Kashmir as the minimum temperatures continued to settle several degrees below the freezing point.

Nahar's family and friends have appealed to people on social media and urged anyone to share any information they might have on his whereabouts, which might help the authorities in searching for him.

The incident has caused concerns over safety of locals and tourists alike amid the harsh winter season.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' -- considered the harshest period of winter -- which began on December 21.