The CEO of Illinois-based tech company Vistex died and the company’s president was injured when they fell from a cage lift at a company event last week in Rangareddy, India.
Sanjay Shah, 56, who founded Vistex in 1999, was killed in the accident as he and company president Vishwanath Datla, 52, were being lowered onto a dais by an iron cage lift at a celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary at a movie studio complex.
At the start of the event on Thursday, the two men got into the lift that was suspended 20 feet in the air, but an iron cable snapped.
Purported videos of the incident posted on social media show the cage, decorated like a hot air balloon, moving as pyrotechnics went off. A sudden snap on one side caused both men to fall out of the cage and onto a stage below.
There were around 680 people in attendance, including employees of Vistex’s Hyderabad, India, branch and the families of both victims, Abdullapurmet police sub-inspector D. Karnakar Reddy told the Indian Express newspaper.
“It is a stunt usually seen during dance performances on stage,” Mr. Reddy said of the cage.
Mr. Shah sustained a leg injury and Mr. Datla suffered a head injury. Mr. Shah died in a hospital a day after the accident, while Mr. Datla remains hospitalized, the local Abdullapurmet Police Station told Indian news agency Asia News International.
A legal case was opened against the event planners at Ramoji Film City, with a complaint being filed against the studio complex by Vistex Executive Director Janakiram Kalidindi, police told Asia News International.
Mr. Kalidindi said it took more 15 minutes to get an ambulance for the two victims, and that Mr. Datla had to be taken to a hospital by a private car, according to the Times of India.
The police continue to investigate the accident and claims of negligence.
“We feel it was substandard and safety precautions were not in place, but we will wait for a report from experts,” Mr. Reddy told the Indian Express.
Ramoji Film City has not yet responded to a request for comment from The Washington Times regarding the accident.