KOCHI: During the Cochin University annual event here on Saturday night, there was a stampede that left over 60 people injured and four students dead, according to authorities. The rush, according to officials, happened just before popular singer Nikita Gandhi was scheduled to perform at a musical festival in this area at the open-air auditorium of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). State Health Minister Veena George said that four students—two boys and two girls—lost their lives and that more than sixty others are receiving treatment at Kalamassery Medical College Hospital and a few other local hospitals. Four more students were listed as critically ill by George. A sudden downpour, according to ADGP M R Ajith Kumar, caused the audience to rush to the auditorium via the stairs, resulting in a stampede and subsequent deaths. “We deduced from the brochure that the festival was yearly and took place from November 24 to November 26. The 1,000–1,500 person capacity auditorium served as the venue for the musical performance. It had some filling in it. However, the kids hurried through the steps as the rain suddenly started, which caused the disaster, Kumar told reporters here. Officials subsequently stated that the singer had not started her song when the tragedy happened, despite early accounts indicating that the stampede happened during Nikitha Gandhi’s musical performance. “Only those with tickets were allowed admission to the event. But throughout the musical performance, a number of locals were present outside the auditorium, an eyewitness told the reporters. In the midst of the catastrophe, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addressed an urgent meeting at a government guest home in Kozhikode and expressed sorrow over the students’ deaths. The meeting’s chairperson, Vijayan, subsequently declared that all cultural and artistic events associated with the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas programme in the northern district on Sunday have been cancelled. In order to arrange different actions, he also assigned ministers P Rajeev and R Bindhu to hasten to the Kalamassery campus. The CM said in a statement that George would arrange for the treatment of all injured parties and instructed that this be done.
