Authorities do not believe that there was foul play in the death of Hungarian tourist Zsolt Puskás, whose body was recovered yesterday.
Speaking to reporters today, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who also holds the Home portfolio, ruled out anything untoward, saying that the lone tourist appeared to have had an accident.
Puskás’s decomposed body was recovered from Ryngku Ksang, near Ramdait village in the Shella region of East Khasi Hills, along an old trail leading to Tyrna. The Hungarian national had arrived in Shillong on March 29 and checked into a hotel in Laitumkhrah early that morning. He checked out a few hours later and was last seen heading toward Mawsahew village, reportedly trekking alone to Nongriat with only a backpack.
“There was no such foul play at all. Very unfortunate he had an accident in that river,” Tynsong said today. He also reiterated the government’s advisories to tourists to exercise caution around rivers in the state. “You can’t treat the water of the plains and hilly areas the same… You have to be very careful while swimming or exploring riverbeds,” he added.
Although rare, drownings in Meghalaya’s rivers and other water bodies are not unheard of, especially when their flow increases after a spell of rain.
Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem also confirmed that there were no immediate signs of foul play. “His money and mobile, everything is intact. At this juncture, no foul play can be inferred, at least from the body, but we will know more after the post-mortem report,” he said.
Authorities are now coordinating with the Hungarian Embassy to decide the next steps, including whether the family will claim the body or if the local administration will dispose of the body.
