Sridevi’s death due to accidental drowning, says Dubai govt
Bollywood star Sridevi lost consciousness and accidentally drowned in her hotel bathtub, the Dubai government said on Monday, giving a twist to her sudden death that had stunned fans and industry colleagues.
There could be further delay in bringing Sridevi's body back.
Indian envoy to the UAE Navdeep Suri told the embassy had been informed the Dubai police could only release the body after another “clearance”. “It is their internal process. We do not know,” he said.
The Dubai government said in a tweet they had transferred the case to the Public Prosecution.
“Following completion of the post-mortem analysis, Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following loss of consciousness,” the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
The body was likely to be embalmed Tuesday noon (Dubai time), Dubai-based newspaper Khaleej Times reported.
It is not clear what caused the actor to lose consciousness, and whether the initial report of her death due to cardiac arrest still holds.
The news of her death was first reported around 3 am IST on Sunday.
Her family has not commented beyond their initial statement on Sunday to announce the death. They have requested media not to disturb them.
Sridevi is survived by her husband and film-maker Boney Kapoor, and two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.
Dubai-based Gulf News said she fell into the bathtub and drowned. However, this could not be confirmed.
Gulf News also attached a copy of the UAE government's forensic report on its Twitter handle. The report, citing accidental drowning as the cause of death, has a stamp of the “Ministry of Health UAE” and the director of preventive medicine, Dubai, Dr Sami Wadie.
Sridevi was in Dubai for a family wedding and had stayed back after the ceremonies. Her husband had flown back to Mumbai with their younger daughter Khushi, but returned to Dubai to surprise her, according to Khaleej Times.