Four students suffered minor injuries as the stage collapsed during a ‘chavittu natakam’ performance at the Ernakulam Revenue District School Youth Festival at Kolenchery on Saturday.
The injured students were Rojin Joy, Abi Raj, Vipin Manuel, and P J Lijo of St Sebastian’s School, Gothuruth.
The incident occurred at Kolenchery St Paul’s LP School during the performance of the teams under the higher secondary category.According to the teachers, the stage made of wooden planks was rickety even before the events were held in the morning and the officials had looked into the matter.
“Unfortunately, during the middle of the performance, the stage collapsed, injuring the students. Four students were rushed to a private hospital and were discharged after conducting a checkup,” said a teacher. Soon after the incident, the event was shifted to main venue and the competition resumed. It is for the first time that ‘chavittu natakam’ is being performed as a competitive event at the youth festival.