Man drowns in high-altitude lake in Himachal

Shimla, July 23 (IANS) During an operation in the high-altitude mountains, rescuers on Friday recovered the body of a youth from Manali who had drowned in the glacial-fed Chandertal or 'Moon Lake' in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley, officials said.The youth, Rahul Thakur, reportedly drowned in Chandertal lake on Thursday morning. He was swimming in the lake along with four of his friends, though taking a dip in the high-altitude lake is prohibited.Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mahinder Pratap Singh said the body was lying at a depth of 18 feet in the lake. He said the divers, who were specially summoned from Sundernagar, recovered the body in their first attempt of the search operation.The body has been handed over to the victim's family after post-mortem.The Chandertal lake -- a crescent-shaped basin surrounded by the Himalayas -- is located at an elevation of 14,100 ft. The lake is accessible only during the summer, as it remains frozen in winter.
--IANS vg/arm