The body of Vetri Duraisamy, 45, the son of former Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy, was recovered from the Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, more than a week after the vehicle in which he was travelling met with an accident, the police said.
Vetri’s body was located after a joint search operation by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force, Uttarakhand state disaster response force, Home Guards and divers of the Mahun Nag Association.
Vetri was reported missing after a Toyota Crysta he was travelling in fell into the Sutlej river near Kashang Nallah after the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on February 4, the Himachal Pradesh Police said that the driver, Tanjin, was declared dead and Vetri’s co-passenger S Gopinath, 32, was rescued and hospitalised.
Upon receiving the information, the police said they reached the spot and rescued Gopinath, who had sustained head injuries and fractures. He was rushed to the Regional Hospital and later admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC). The team reached the vehicle, pushed it to the riverbank and discovered Tanjin’s body, the police added.
Duraisamy, a former Saidapet All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLA, served as Chennai mayor between 2011-2016. Vetri was a film director. His film Endravathu Oru Naal featuring Vidharth and Ramya Nambeesan was released in 2021.
Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including AIADMK, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) among others, expressed their deepest condolences. “This grief should not be, cannot be faced by a father. At this juncture, I share my deepest sympathy and condolences to brother Saidai Duraisamy,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said.
Vetri’s body will be kept for public homage at 5 pm on Tuesday at his residence in Chennai.