Tech CEO Dies After Freak Accident on Stage in Front of Crowd at Company Party

Brian Brant

22 January 2024 at 12:24 pm·2-min read

The company's president remains in critical condition after the 15-foot fall, according to reports

A Chicago-area tech CEO died after falling onto a stage at a packed company event in India last week.

Vistex CEO Sanjay Shah, 56, and company president Raju Datla, 52, were marking the software company's silver jubilee celebration when the incident occurred on Thursday, according to CBS affiliate WBBM-TV and The Times of India.

According to a CBS affiliate in India, 700 people were in attendance.

Both men were inside a suspended cage when the chain holding the cage broke on one side, causing them both to fall onto the stage, per Fox Business and WBBM-TV.

“At the time of the accident, music was being played, and Shah and Raju were waving to their staff while being lowered," a police official told The Times of India.

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The New York Post reported that the cage began to wobble as it hovered near the rafters.

Shah died at a hospital following the terrifying incident, while Datla, who sustained a severe head injury, remains in critical condition, per the reports.

PEOPLE has reached out to Vistex for comment.

The New York Post reported that officials are now investigating.

According to The New York Post, Shah started the advisory service company in 1999, and its clients include Coca-Cola and GM, among others.

Vistex honored the men by lowering their company flag to half-staff, WBBM-TV reported.

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