Kochi: A newly installed gate at the renovated entrance of Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi collapsed on Friday evening, narrowly missing an auto-rickshaw that was passing by at the time.

The gate, which had been installed as part of the stadium’s renovation by a sponsor, gave way at around 5.30 pm. It was one of the four panels forming the main entrance to the stadium.

Auto-rickshaw driver Chandran said the heavy gate fell just moments after his vehicle passed through the entrance. “It collapsed very close to my auto. There were three passengers inside, and we escaped purely by luck,” he said.

The newly installed gates are located at the stadium entrance along Banerji Road. The entrance itself was constructed as part of the recently undertaken and controversial stadium renovation project.

No injuries were reported in the incident.