South director Vetri Duraisamy’s body recovered from Sutlej river after a week-long search

The body of Vetri Duraisamy, 45, son of former Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy, was found in the Sutlej river in Himachal Pradesh on Monday. The discovery came more than a week after the vehicle he was a passenger in was involved in an accident. Police said Vetri’s body was found after collaborative search efforts by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Disaster Response Force, Uttarakhand Disaster Response Force, Home Guards and Mahon Nagar Society divers.

Vetri reportedly went missing after a Toyota Crysta he was driving crashed into the Sutlej River near Kashang Nallah, allegedly because the driver lost his control of the vehicle. On February 4, Himachal Pradesh Police posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the driver Tanjin was declared dead, while Vetri’s co-passenger S Gopinath, 32, was rescued and hospitalized.

After receiving the information, the police rushed to the spot and successfully rescued Gopinath, who suffered head injuries and fractures. He was initially admitted to a district hospital and later shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC). The team also managed to recover the vehicle, fish it out of the river and discover Tankin’s body, police added.

Saidai Duraisamy is a former Saidapet All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (AIADMK) MLA who served as the mayor of Chennai from 2011 to 2016. Vetri, on the other hand, is a film director. His film Endravathu Oru Naal starring Vidharth and Ramya Nambeesan will be released in 2021.

Political parties across Tamil Nadu, including the AIADMK, Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (DMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazagam (DMDK), expressed their heartfelt condolences. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to Saidai Duraisamy and said: “Father should not and cannot face this kind of grief.” Vetri’s body will be held at 5 pm on Tuesday Preserved at his residence in Chennai for public viewing.