The Newz Radar
MANDI: The body of Vetri Duraisamy, son of former Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy, has been finally recovered from the Satluj in Himachal Pradesh after a search of eight days.
The body was recovered by a team of young divers from Jugahan and Talwadi villages in Sundernagar sub-division of Mandi district who have transformed their pastime of diving into rivers, canals and lakes into a well-established profession to rescue people falling into water bodies. Shiv Ram, who leads the team that has conducted over 2,000 operations so far, confirmed the recovery of Vetri’s body to The Newz Radar.
Vetri had gone missing after the Innova vehicle he was in fell into the river in Kinnaur on February 4, 2024. Vetri’s father had announced a Rs 1 crore reward for any information on the whereabouts of his missing son, an amount that he subsequently revised to Rs 1.5 crore.
The incident, which occurred near Pangi Nullah on National Highway-5, had left two persons, including the driver of the vehicle, missing. The driver’s body, however, was recovered from the submerged vehicle even as Vetri’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Vetri’s father Saidai Duraisamy is a former Mayor of Tamil Nadu capital Chennai and he took 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 and formally announced the reward for anyone who would locate his son Vetri. The reward underscored the family’s earnest desire to find their missing loved one.
In a plea to the local community, Saidai Duraisamy had 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 Himachal Pradesh capital 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. The accident is learnt to have occurred 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 fell out of the car but not without sustaining grave injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital before being referred to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla for further treatment.
