At least 19 students were killed in a fire that broke out in a tuition centre in the western Indian city of Surat, a top state official says.
Firefighters work to douse the flames at the tuition centre in Surat. Photo: AP
Students were seen jumping and falling from the building as black smoke billowed from windows.
Most of the victims were teenagers who had been studying at the tuition centre.
More than a dozen students were hospitalised with burns or suffering from suffocation, police officer Praveen Chaudhary said.
The students were attending a class when the fire broke out in the four-storey building, Mr Chaudhary said. He said all of the students had been accounted for.
Gujarat state's top elected official, Vijay Rupani, said 19 youngsters died in the fire.
"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," Rupani told The Press Trust of India.
The cause of the fire is not yet clear, but officials said the blaze spread through packed classrooms because of the material used in the roof.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences on Twitter and called for local authorities to provide assistance.
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
An inquiry into the incident has been ordered and a report is expected within three days, said the spokesman for the office of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
The fire is the latest in a long line of deadly blazes in India where fires are common because of poorly enforced regulations. In February at least 17 people died in a Delhi hotel fire.
A crowd gathers to watch as emergency services respond to the fire. Photo: AP
- AP / BBC
