Sridevi died of "accidental drowning", a medical report sourced by local media said.
Mumbai: Megastar Sridevi, who died in Dubai on Saturday, had accidentally drowned in the bathtub of the hotel where she was staying, the police said today after an autopsy. The case will be transferred to the "Dubai Public Prosecution" which will carry out regular legal procedures, the Dubai government's media office said. It is not yet known when her body will be released. Indian envoy in UAE Navdeep Suri has said they are waiting for another "clearance". The sudden death of the 54-year-old, initially thought to be cardiac arrest, had come as a shock to the film fraternity and fans.
The postmortem conducted by the authorities in Dubai listed "accidental drowning" as the cause of death. "The Dubai police headquarters today stated that the death of the Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bath tub following loss of consciousness," the Dubai government's media office said on Twitter.
UAE's leading national daily Gulf News said according to the report, the actor fell into the bathtub, lost consciousness and drowned. Bobby Naqvi, National Editor of Gulf News, told NDTV that the postmortem report mentioned that there were "traces of alcohol in her blood".
Sridevi was found unconscious in the bathtub of the Jumeirah Emirates Towers by her husband Boney Kapoor on Saturday evening, media reports said. After a medical team failed to revive her, she was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead.
Sridevi's death was initially reported to have been the result of a heart attack. Boney Kapoor's brother Sanjay Kapoor had said they were "completely shocked" since "she had no history of a heart attack".
Sridevi's body will be brought back to Mumbai for the funeral by a chartered jet. It is not clear however, when the authorities will give clearance. Indian envoy Navdeep Suri said the officials are working closely with the authorities in UAE to expedite the return, reported news agency Press Trust of India. News agency Reuters reported that the embalming of the body is yet to start. It is likely to be carried out by noon tomorrow at Sonapur, the report said.
Sridevi, her husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi had gone to Dubai to attend a family wedding. Later, his Boney Kapoor had returned to Mumbai to drop off Khushi and then went back to Dubai as a surprise to his wife, reports said. The couple was to go out for dinner and Sridevi collapsed while getting ready, reports said.
In Mumbai, the film fraternity poured into the home of Anil Kapoor - Sridevi's brother-in-law and her co-star in blockbuster hits including Mr India - to pay their respects. The family had announced that Sridevi's body will arrive in Mumbai today. Among the visitors were leading actors Bollywood actors Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Jaya Prada and Tabu, south's actor-politician Kamal Haasan and Telugu superstar Venkatesh.
In a career spanning five decades, Sridevi had worked in 300 films. Starting as a child actor at the age of 4, she had turned into the leading lady of the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies before venturing to Bollywood. She had worked extensively with Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, producing a string of critically acclaimed movies.
In male superstar-dominated Bollywood, Sridevi's peppy style and impeccable comic timing brought her the tag of Bollywood's first woman superstar. She was loved by millions for her roles in iconic movies like "Sadma", "Lamhe" "Mr India", "Chandni" and "Himmatwala".
After a 15-year break from movies following her marriage to director Boney Kapoor, Sridevi returned in 2012 with the smash-hit "English Vinglish". She followed it up with the thriller "Mom". She shot for a special appearance in superstar Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film - "Zero" - which releases in December.
