The deceased, M Dhineshkumar from Kallakurichi district, was a final year BE mechanical engineering student at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Thiruparankundram, Madurai.
He was among the 4,500 men and women who participated in the ‘Uthiram 2023’ blood donation awareness marathon organized by the Madurai Medical College. Most of the participants were college students from various districts of the state.
The student felt uncomfortable 1 hour after the event
The marathon was opened by Health Minister Ma Subramanian along with Business Tax Minister P Moorthy at around 6 am at the medical college. Participants had to cover the distance of 10 km and return to school. About an hour after completing the marathon, Dhineshkumar went to the bathroom because he felt uncomfortable. According to doctors at the nearby Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), other students found him having seizures in the bathroom and immediately alerted the nearby medical team, who administered first aid.
Dhineshkumar was soon taken by ambulance and admitted to the GRH emergency room at 8:45am. “He was found to have low blood pressure and pulse rate. Although we provided him with life-saving treatment, he remained unconscious throughout the time he was admitted to the hospital. The young man subsequently went into sudden cardiac arrest and died unresponsive to treatment at 10:45am,” said hospital dean Dr A Rathinavel. GRH police are investigating and the student’s body has been sent for postmortem examination.