Tech CEO Sanjay Shah Dead at 56 After Freak Accident at Company Party

A Chicago-based tech company is mourning its leader after a tragic incident.

Sanjay Shah, CEO and founder of software company Vistex, died on Jan. 18 from injuries sustained after a freak accident during a company party in India. He was 56.

During a celebration for Vistex's 25th anniversary, Shah and the company's president Vishwanath Raju Datla were suspended in an iron cage more than 20 feet in the air. "Shah and Raju being lowered from the cage onto the dais," a company official told The Times of India Jan. 20, "was a planned event to kickstart the celebrations."

However, as the duo were being lowered, one of the two wires attached to the cage snapped, causing both men to fall 15 feet and land onto the concrete stage in front of the party's reported 700 guests. Local authorities said, per the outlet, "At the time of the accident, music was being played and Shah and Raju were waving to their staff while being lowered."

Shah died of his injuries at the hospital following the accident, The Times of India reported, while Datla, 52, who sustained a severe head injury, remains in critical condition.

The Vistex flag at the company's Hoffman Estates office now sits at half-mast and officials are now investigating the accident per a CBS affiliate in India.

According to their website, Vistex is a revenue management software with 20 global offices and more than 2,000 employees, and works with clients such as GM, Barilla, and Bayer. Shah founded the company in 1999.

E! News has reached out to Vistex for comment.