What Happened?
On the rooftop of Taxshila Complex in Surat, a coaching center was set ablaze by a fire on Friday, the cause of which is facing much scrutiny. It has about 23 confirmed deaths so far, all students who were awaiting their class XII results due today.
Lack of any provision of a fire escape, many trapped inside had to resort to jumping off of the building in order to escape the ruthless fire that spread from the second floor reportedly all the way to the fourth floor, connected by a wooden staircase. A fire drill had been conducted last year at the coaching center but to no avail as the center escaped policies.
Updates
The starting point of the fire is said to be from an air conditioner compressor or electrical equipment in one of the classrooms according to the statement given to Indian Express by Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma. The PM, Narendra Modi, also expressed his anguish in a tweet regarding this tragedy. Our hearts go out to those grieving and we strongly condemn those responsible for such abject carelessness resulting in the futile deaths of young students.
Extremely anguished by the fire tragedy in Surat. 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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 24, 2019