Surat Fire Tragedy: Locals take out 'Asthi Yatra' for deceased children

Locals took out an 'Asthi Yatra' here today for the 22 children who lost their lives in a major fire at coaching center 'Takshashila Arcade' in Sarthana area of Surat on May 24.

"Through this 'Asthi Yatra' we want to create awareness among the general public and request them to ensure their child's proper security and safety in college or school. Any incident of this sort should never occur again. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani assured that strict actions would be taken against the accused persons but they are still roaming freely, why did the authorities not take any stern action till now?" father of a deceased child told ANI.

People in large numbers took part in the Asthi Yatra, holding banners and photos of the deceased children.

Parents sat in trucks loaded with flowers and photos of their children. General public offered flowers and prayers to the photos of the deceased children.

A blaze ripped through the coaching center located in Takshashila Arcade in Surat's Sarthana area on May 24, killing as many as 20 people, mostly students, and injuring many others.

Several students were seen jumping off the building to escape the inferno. Some people were unable to escape and died on the spot. As the rescue operations were carried out, charred bodies were found. The fire was reportedly triggered by a short circuit.