Kochi: Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said that autopsy report of the four who were killed in the stampede at CUSAT cited asphyxiation as the cause of death. 

“As per the initial findings in the autopsy, the four were choked to death when the crowd pushed in,” she confirmed.

“A total of 56 people were rushed to various hospitals following the horrific stampede. Among them, four were brought dead. Reports confirmed that 32 people were admitted to wards and three in ICU at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery. In Aster Medcity, three students admitted to the ICU are in critical condition. Around 16 people were discharged from Kinder Hospital,” said Veena George.

Govt to form expert panel
The Kerala government on Sunday said it has decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the stampede during Cochin University's annual festival a day ago that claimed four lives and injured over 60 others.

State Higher Education Minister R Bindu said the expert panel will also frame terms of reference to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

Besides that, reports have been called from the university Vice-Chancellor and Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department regarding the tragic incident, the minister told reporters here.

She said the organisers were responsible for ensuring there was adequate preparedness for crowd control when such events were being hosted.

She added that any further action would be taken after receiving all the reports.

(With PTI Inputs)