In a tragic turn of events, four students lost their lives in a stampede during a college festival at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Saturday, November 25. The incident took place just before singer Nikhita Gandhi was scheduled to perform as part of ‘Dhishna’, CUSAT’s annual tech festival. Four students are in the Intensive Care Unit and more than 40 others are reported to have sustained injuries and undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital at Kalamassery.
The incident happened around 7 pm on Saturday, when the students reportedly rushed into the auditorium just before the event through the single entrance and exit gate. The identities of the deceased students are yet to be known, but as per reports two of the deceased were male students and two were female students.
According to local political representatives, some students who were rushing into the auditorium fell down some steps, resulting in chaos and a stampede.
The event was open to the public. As per CUSAT, more than 2,000 students participate in the tech fest yearly from various colleges.