Surat fire toll rises to 23, two students on ventilator

The death toll in the Friday's devastating blaze in Surat rose to 23 by Saturday, even as seven students battled for survival in hospitals, officials said.

Two of the injured students were on ventilator and five admitted to intensive care units (ICU). The condition of four others was reported to be stable.

Most of the students who were killed in the fire at an arts coaching centre on the top floor of a four-storey building were between the age of 14 and 17. Some were expecting their Class 12 results on Saturday.

Officials informed that the fire started at the ground floor and reached the top floor. Some students at another class, rushed to the terrace to escape the fire and found themselves stuck there.

According to witnesses, there must have been around 50 students in the Takshashila Arcade building when it caught fire.

Graphic videos on social media showed over 10 students jumping from the third and fourth storey, which was actually a covered terrace, to escape the blaze and the billowing smoke.

--IANS

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