The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: In the wake of a tragic car accident that resulted in an Innova vehicle plunging into the Sutlej river in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, a reward of Rs 1 crore has been announced for any information on the whereabouts of a missing youth who belonged to Tamil Nadu.
The incident, which occurred near Pangi Nullah on National Highway-5 on Sunday (February 4, 2024) evening, left two persons missing, including the driver of the vehicle.
The body of the driver, however, was recovered from the submerged vehicle, but the whereabouts of the second missing person, identified as Vetri, remain unknown. Vetri’s father Saidai Duraisamy is a former Mayor of Tamil Nadu capital Chennai and he has taken a proactive stance in the search efforts for his missing son. A powerful politician, he was the first All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate to become the Mayor of Chennai from October 25, 2011, to October 24, 2016.
Duraisamy has reached out to Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar, formally announcing a reward for anyone who would locate his son Vetri. The reward, amounting to Rs 1 crore, underscores the family’s earnest desire to find their missing loved one amidst the tragic circumstances.
In a plea to the local community, Saidai Duraisamy urged people residing in the vicinity to assist in the search efforts by combing the river banks and extending a helping hand in tracing Vetri’s whereabouts.
Vetri was accompanied by his friend Gopinath, who fell out of the Innova as it rolled down the gorge and sustained injuries. The duo had hired the vehicle, , bearing registration number HP01AA-1111, to reach Spiti in Lahaul from Shimla. The tourists were said to be on their way to explore the scenic Spiti area next to Kinnaur when the Innova fell into the river in Kinnaur on the National Highway-5.
The accident occurred on Sunday evening as the driver lost control over the vehicle and it fell into a 200-metre-deep gorge and then into the Sutlej. The deceased driver was identified as Tenzin, a resident of Tabo in Lahaul-Spiti.
Gopinath, the injured tourist, miraculously escaped the confines of the car but not without sustaining grave injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention before being referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla for further treatment.
