Woman, 53, identified by her fingerprints after falling to her death at Ohio State graduation

A graduation ceremony at Ohio State University was hit by tragedy on Sunday after a woman fell from a stadium stand and died, with officials later using her fingerprints to identify her.

The incident in Columbus, Ohio, happened at around 12.25pm on Sunday as students arrived for the ceremony, with the woman reported dead when medics arrived, 10 WBNS reported.

On Tuesday, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office identified her, using fingerprints, as Larissa Brady. She was 53.

Despite the incident, the ceremony reportedly carried on as planned as news of the death spread among students in the stands.

“Tragically, an individual fell from the stands and is deceased. We have no additional details to share at this time,” a spokesperson for the college told The Independent on Monday.

“For anyone affected by yesterday’s incident, we will make counselling and other support resources available.”

The Independent has approached the Ohio State University Police Department for further comment.

Around 12,500 students were in the stadium at the time.

A reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, who was at the event, said some students were visibly upset.

Ohio State University’s ceremonies took place after weeks of campus protests, which have swept across the country.

In Indiana, some students walked out of their ceremony on Saturday, while Pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan interrupted the event there.

In Columbus, Melissa Shivers, Ohio State’s senior vice president of student life, called for a day without interruptions.

"Today is a day for focusing on and celebrating our graduates,” she said before students arrived, according to the Dispatch.