Surat fire tragedy: A massive fire engulfed a four-storey commercial complex in Surat on Friday, killing 21 teenage students at a coaching centre, many of whom jumped and fell to their deaths while some were suffocated. There were around 40 and 45 children in coaching centre at the time of the incident. 20 people, including a teacher, died after being burnt alive, while a child was killed after he was trying to jump off the building to escape the fire. The dead include 18 girls and 3 boys, everyone was between 15 and 22 years of age. Several injuries were also reported.


In the latest update, Surat police have filed an FIR against three people including builders of the complex- Harshal Vekaria and Jignesh, and the owner of the coaching centre Bhargav Bhutani. The case has been registered under sections 304 and 308.

In the preliminary investigation by the police, it has been found that Harshal and Jigesh had bought the entire floor from the builder while Bhargav was the operator of Buttani drawing classes. It has been reported that the coaching centre was an illegal construction on the top floor of a multi-storey building.

Satish Sharma, Commissioner of Police Surat said, "All type of tuition classes have been stopped for now, classes can only be conducted after the required fire safety checks are done & a fire safety certificate has been obtained. Have arrested the man who used to conduct the tuition classes."

In a video clip of the incident, some young students at the Takshashila Complex in Sarthana area, where the building is located, can be seen jumping off the third and fourth floors amid plumes of thick smoke.

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Following the tragedy, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered a fire safety audit of schools, colleges and coaching centres. Visiting the site of the tragedy, Rupani said the audit would find out if educational establishments in the state have proper equipment and facilities to deal with fire incidents. He said the fire audit would also cover hospitals, malls and other commercial buildings of major cities and towns in the state.

"Nineteen youngsters, all in their 20s, have died in the fire incident here. I'm told these youngsters were trapped in the building as the fire destroyed the staircase. Around three to four died after they jumped off the building," he said on Friday. "We have already ordered an inquiry into the incident. To avoid such tragic incidents, I have asked officials to conduct fire safety audit of all schools, colleges, hospitals, malls and other commercial buildings. We will check if they have proper fire fighting equipment," Rupani told reporters.

He added that the state government has brought in forensic experts to find the exact cause of the fire. He also declared financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the family members of those who died in the incident.

While on the horrific incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "extremely anguished" by the fire tragedy in his home state. "My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Have asked the Gujarat Government and local authorities to provide all possible assistance to those affected," Modi tweeted.

(With inputs from PTI)