Woman, feared drowned, found alive

61-year-old swims to safety after getting caught in the current

It was a case of woman missing that lasted all but a few hours when the person who had gone missing was found, much to the relief of her dear ones.

A 61-year-old woman from Thottuva near Kodanad was last spotted when she had left home to take bath in a nearby river on Friday evening. But she never returned, stoking the worst fears of her family.

After a search for her proved futile, when even theories of drowning made rounds, her panic-stricken son lodged a petition with the Kodanad police who registered a case for missing invoking Section 57 of the Kerala Police Act.

The search that went on late into the night bore no result.

The dawn, however, brought good news when the family had given up all hope.

Caught in current

She was spotted at the Thottuva ghat, a few metres down the river where she had ventured to take bath.

According to the police, she lost her footing and got caught in the current, which swept her for a short distance.

“She, however, managed to swim to safety by which time it was already dark. Exhausted and unable to make the direction in the darkness, she chose to stay back and dozed off,” said police.