Pushpa 2 Stampede Case: 8-Year-Old Injured at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre Incident Critical, on Ventilator Support

The 8-year-old child, who came with her mother during the special screening of Pushpa 2 movie at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, where the stampede incident occurred, is currently in critical condition at the hospital.

The health update released on Tuesday by the KIMS Cuddles Hospital in the city stated that Sri Tej is in the intensive care unit (ICU) as his neurological condition shows no improvement. Doctors said the child was on ventilator support with minimal oxygen and pressure. 

Also Read | Pushpa 2 OTT Release Date: Allu Arjun’s Blockbuster to Premiere on Netflix in January 2025.

An incident of stampede took place at the Sandhya Theatre on December 4 during the special screening of Allu Arjun-led Pushpa 2. A large crowd gather at the screening to see the Telugu actor. During this, a 35-year-old woman and her son Sri Tej were stampeded and suffocated. Police rushed to the scene, gave CPR treatment to them, and rushed them to the hospital, where the mother was declared dead.

Reporting the current situation, further a tracheostomy, a procedure where a pipe is inserted surgically into the windpipe to facilitate breathing, is being considered to wean him off the ventilator. "His fever is reducing and on minimal inotropes, his vital parameters are stable. He is tolerating feeds well," said a statement from the hospital.

According to the hospital, the child earlier was brought with low oxygen saturation and irregular breathing on December 4. While the oxygen and breathing support was removed on December 10, he had to be intubated again on December 12 amid respiratory distress.

#Hyderabad: Sandhya Theatre Stampede Case—Update on the kid’s health-

Child Sritej continues to remain in PICU needing mechanical ventilation with minimal support of oxygen and pressures. His fever is reducing, his vital parameters are stable.

He is tolerating feeds well.… pic.twitter.com/dhHNuvlOYg

— @Coreena Enet Suares (@CoreenaSuares2) December 17, 2024

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner CV Anand visited the hospital to take child's health update, he informed that the Sri Tej was brain-dead due to lack of breathing during the stampede and that it would take a long time to recover. 

In the stampede case, Allu Arjun was arrested but was released a day later after Telangana High Court granted him interim bail.