Palakkad (Kerala) | Hundreds of people on Saturday paid their last respects to Shrinanda, a Class 10 student, who had gone missing during a family trip to the Chandradrona hill range in Karnataka and was later found dead, at her residence in this north Kerala district.

The girl had been missing since Tuesday evening after she went trekking at the hill viewpoint in the neighbouring state.

A large number of people, including friends, schoolmates, neighbours and local residents, thronged her house at Kadambazhipuram, where the mortal remains were kept for the public to pay their last respects.

Relatives and friends broke down inconsolably when the body was taken for cremation. Locals said the deceased was active in both academic and extracurricular activities at her school.

According to the Karnataka police, Shrinanda's body, first spotted with the help of a drone camera, was found in a deep gorge estimated to be over 1,500 feet near a waterfall, not far from the spot where she was reported missing.

Police said an investigation is underway to ascertain whether the death was due to an accidental fall into the gorge or any other cause, with all angles being probed.

The girl was part of a group of around 40 relatives who had travelled from Palakkad for the trip.