Surat up in smoke..! State orders fire audit of hospitals, malls and commercial buildings after massive inferno

Surat, May 25: Amid the blazing chaos spread in a multi-storeyed building in the city of Gujarat, at least 20 students attending the tution classes breathed last after making several attempts to escape the fire and brimstone. Students attending their coaching sessions on the third and fourth floors at the Takshila building jumped to the ground to save themselves from the smoke. "The fire started near the staircase, so they could not get down," Joint Commissioner of Police Harikrishna Patel said, adding that all the dead were aged below 20 years. 

 

"The fire was doused within an hour. No safety equipment was reportedly installed in the building, added the official. As per the information received, 20 students have died in the fire. Many others were injured and shifted to a hospital.", Patel informed ahead.

 

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “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”.

 

Meanwhile the state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, “the injured are being treated in various hospitals near the incident site”. Expressing anguish, he announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the deceased. “The injured children will be given quick and proper treatment”, he added.

Rupani, who ordered an investigation into the incident by Mukesh Puri, principal secretary in the urban development department, later rushed to Surat ordering a fire safety audit of schools, colleges and coaching centres across the state, and visited the injured children in hospitals.

"We have ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. We will not spare those found guilty. Coaching classes at the centre were run in a shade built on the top floor of the building. We will also check if the construction was illegal" said Nitin Patel.

The audit will 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".