Chennai, April 22 (IANS): Defence ministry communication professional Natesan Andavan died on Wednesday after he sustained a grievous injury in a road accident here on April 20, the ministry said. He was 52.

Andavan joined the public relations department set up by the ministry in 2009, according to a ministry statement.

He was part of the 2009 batch of the defence correspondents' course conducted by the Directorate of Public Relations under the ministry.

Andavan was a regular contributor to the fortnightly Sainik Samachar, the oldest defence journal of the country.

Before joining the ministry, Andavan worked with various media units of the ministry of information and broadcasting, including All India Radio, Doordarshan and Press Information Bureau.

Andavan is survived by his wife S. Joy, a news editor with All India Radio, Chennai, a son and a daughter.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar expressed grief at his untimely demise.