At least 19 students died and 20 others sustained serious injuries in the western Indian city of Surat after a commercial complex caught fire on Friday. The initial cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, but officials said the fire spread through packed classrooms due to the building’s inflammable roofing.
Local media said the fire began near the staircase of the Taxshila Complex, which housed a tuition center on the multi-storied building’s top floor. All of the dead were under 20 years of age, according to Reuters news agency. There were more than 50 students in the tuition class when the fire broke out, several sources told India’s The Hindu newspaper. Authorities in the state of Gujarat, where the fire broke out, have ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the victims’ families in a Twitter message, saying he was “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,” the premier said.
Deadly blazes in India are not uncommon. In February, at least 17 people were killed in a Delhi hotel fire.