A tech company’s CEO was killed, and its president severely hurt, during a freak accident at a corporate event Thursday evening in Hyderabad, India.
The incident happened at Ramaji Film City (RFC) in front of a crowd celebrating the silver jubilee of Vistex Asia-Pacific Private Ltd., the Times of India reported Saturday.
Fifty-six-year-old CEO Sanjay Shah died at a local hospital while the company’s president, identified as Vishwanath Raju Datla, is apparently fighting to stay alive.
An image shows the CEO killed in the incident:
5 Facts About Sanjay Shah, Vistex CEO Who Died In Freak Hyderabad Accident https://t.co/jZmASN9aOW pic.twitter.com/ifVecCU7JB
— NDTV (@ndtv) January 20, 2024
A company official said the celebration was supposed to feature the two men being lowered in a cage in front of the audience.
However, the pair were being brought down in the cage that was suspended by ropes and pulleys when one of two wires connected to the cage broke, sending the men plunging approximately 15 feet. They landed on a concrete dais below.
Video footage shows the incident with music playing loudly as the cage is lowered. Someone is heard shouting while another person lifts their arms to clap. As the music surges, the cage appears to slump over and the two men are seen falling out of it.
WARNING — GRAPHIC VIDEO:
🚨US Tech Boss Plunges 15ft To His Death During Company’s Anniversary Party
Sanjay Shah, CEO of Vistex, fell to his death after a cable holding up the iron cage he was performing in snapped. pic.twitter.com/5WPBsxZDwZ
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 21, 2024
Additional footage shows a close-up view of the incident and the men waving at the crowd before the accident:
In a tragic incident, Vistex Asia’s R&D leader- CEO #SanjayShah died by falling from a height of twenty feet onto the ground during the company’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations.
The incident took place at Ramoji Film City in #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/QEd9BVA5e6
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) January 19, 2024
The Times report continued:
A case has been registered under IPC sections 304A (causing death by a rash or negligent act) and 336 (endangering human life or personal safety of others). Those who were booked included the RFC management, its senior event manager, the chief manager, (security), the contractor for special effects, and the rope operator.
Originally from Mumbai, Shah had set up revenue management solutions and services player Vistex Inc. in 1999. The company has close to 1,600 employees and has a turnover of around $300 million. It counts Coca Cola, GE, Dow, Dell, Siemens, Adobe, Kellogg’s, Abbott, Bayer, Yamaha, Sony, Nvidia, Kimberly Clark, HP, Cisco, among others as customers.
Shah was the founder of Vistex, which is a tech company that assists others such as Apple and Walmart in improving revenue and margins, per NDTV.