CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu police are in touch with the Himachal state police over a car accident in which two people from the State were travelling before the SUV fell into a flowing Sutlej River. While the driver was killed in the accident, Vetri Duraisamy (45), son of former Chennai mayor Saidai Duraisamy is missing and his assistant Gopinath (35) is admitted to a nearby government hospital with serious injuries.
According to reports from Shimla, the driver was killed as the car carrying the TN tourists slipped into a 200-foot-deep gorge and then rolled into the Sutlej River.
The accident occurred at Pangi Nallah in Himachal’s Kinnaur district, surrounded by hillocks and forests, local police said on Monday.
The tourists were on their way from Lahaul and were heading to the airport so that they could fly back to Chennai airport. The driver, identified as Tanjeev, suffered a heart attack leading to the accident and the local disaster rescue force pressed boats into service in search of the missing Vetri Duraisamy.
Gopinath, who fell on the side, had sustained serious injuries and is critical. “The local police recovered Tanjeev’s body and search operations are under way to trace the missing tourist,” DSP Headquarters Naveen Jalta said, adding that further investigations are under way.
“We have reached out to the Himachal Pradesh police and are waiting for further updates,” a senior TN police officer told DT Next.