Aerial stunt tragedy: Bodies of both actors found

Bengaluru, Nov 10: After three days of intense search, body of the second stunt actor who drowned during a Kannada film shoot was recovered today from the murky waters of Tippagondanahalli lake near here.

The body of Anil, who jumped into the water from the helicopter during the climax action scene for "Maastigudi" film on Monday, was fished out in the early hours by the National Disaster Response Force-led search team, police said.

After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family members and brought to his house where several Kannada actors, including Duniya Vijay and Puneet Rajkumar and large number of his fans paid their respects.

Body of Uday, another stuntman who drowned with Anil, was pulled out of the murky waters of the lake yesterday, 20 feet from where they the two had taken the fatal leap from the helicopter.

Uday's last rites were performed today.Over 100 personnel from the state and Central teams, including Navy divers, and a drone were deployed for the massive search operation, with both bodies recovered amid chaotic scenes as hundreds of people gathered on the banks.

Duniya Vijay had a narrow escape after he was rescued by a fisherman when he jumped with the two stunt actors from the helicopter into the lake in a horrific scene caught on camera.

The film unit has been hit by allegations that it did not take even elementary safety measures, made worse by the rescue boat that remained immobile facing a technical glitch.

With the film unit coming in the line of fire, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce yesterday directed Duniya Vijay, director Nagashekhar and stunt director Ravi Varma not to involve themselves in any film-related activity till "further orders".

Earlier report:

48 hours after deadly stunt, actor's body floats up in swimming posture

Bengaluru, Nov 9: The bloated body of actor Raghav Uday, bogged in the silt for two days, came to the surface of the Tippagondanahalli reservoir on Wednesday.

It was at 3.32 pm, nearly 48 hours after the nervous 32-year-old jumped into the murky waters, that his body buoyed up.

The search team, working since Monday afternoon, continued its operations well into the night on Wednesday, looking for Uday's fellow-actor, Anil Kumar (33).

The two friends, known for their sculpted physique and daring stunts, had plunged into the reservoir from a helicopter for the climax of the Kannada film Mastigudi. With no support from the unit, they gasped and disappeared, with a camera capturing their tragic end. Police have arrested the producer of the film, amid questions over how the authorities had allowed the unit to shoot in a restricted area.

Duniya Vijay, hero of the film, had jumped in seconds after the two stuntmen, and was brought ashore in a coracle. He had been the only actor, among three featured in the scene, wearing a life jacket.

How it showed up

Uday's body surfaced with its head up, and DIG Fire and Emergency Services H S Revanna noticed it first. He was accompanying Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner V Shankar in a rescue boat.

They took about 15 minutes to double-check and confirm it was Uday. The ambulance ferried Uday's body to a tent near the reservoir, where doctors from the Magadi Government Hospital conducted a postmortem. The procedure took about an hour and was done by 7.15 pm.

The body was then handed over to the bereaved family, which proceeded to his house in Yediyur, Jayanagar 7th Block. The body will be cremated at Banashankari on Thursday.  Revanna explained the body was swollen because it had been submerged for two days. Fish had nibbled at Uday's wrist and abdomen. The body showed some cuts around the stomach and chest, presumably caused by the sharp hooks thrown down during the search operations. Had the actors worn clothes, the hooks would found them more easily, a member of the search team said.

What drivers did

Hassan, a diver from Mangaluru, said he and his team had cleared some silt and weed, causing the body to buoy up. “We were sure we would find both bodies today, but we have been able to find only one. We had zeroed in on a spot on Tuesday, but the body was found 10-20 metres away, towards the temple,” he said.The teams continued their search with the help of torches, emergency lamps and vehicle headlights, and wound up by 8.30 pm.

“We will use motorboats and the turbulence may make the body come out on its own. If we don't trace it by morning, it may drift far away,” said a rescue official.

“I saw the body in the backstroke posture. I assumed it was a member of the search team, and asked my colleagues why he was doing a back stroke when the others were looking underwater. The team soon realised it was Uday's body,” Revanna said.

An emergency team member signalled from the boat to his colleagues on the shore. The big crowd that had gathered at the site then surged forward, prompting the police to cordon off the water front.

A National Disaster Relief Force boat rushed to the spot with a bedspread. The team, comprising the police, emergency staff and divers from Mangaluru, brought the wrapped body ashore in an ambulance.

There was more confusion when a member of Uday's family said it was not him. Officials requested Uday's aunt Jayamma to take a close look at the body. Duniya Vijay and the film crew was also called to confirm its identity.