19 teenage students have died on Friday in a coaching centre located in Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana area of Surat when part of the building caught fire.
Video footage showed students jumping off the third and fourth floors of the building.
According to The Economic Times, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said at least 19 students have died in the fire, but Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel has put the figure at 20.
"As per the information received, 20 students have died in the fire. Many others were injured and shifted to a hospital," Patel said.
Students, mostly teenagers, died "either due to suffocation or jumping off from the complex", he said.
Earlier report suggests that there was no fire escape in the building causing children to jump from 3rd and 4th floors. Reports also suggest that the fire services did not reach the site on time.
Eye-witnesses claimed that there were around 50 students in the complex when the fire started. Locals helped in the rescue operation to save some of the stranded students and other occupants of the building.
