B-Town celebs express anguish over Surat fire tragedy

Mumbai: Bollywood celebs Amitabh Bachchan, Javed Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor on Saturday offered condolences to the families of those killed in the Surat fire, terming the tragedy "devastating", "horrible", "unfortunate" and heartbreaking".

The death toll in Friday's devastating blaze in Surat rose to 23 by Saturday, even as seven students battled for their lives in hospital.

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

Here's what celebrities tweeted:

Amitabh Bachchan: Terrible tragedy in Surat. A devastating fire and 14-17-year-old children caught in it jump off the building and perish. Grief beyond expression. Prayers.

Javed Akhtar: It is really a huge tragedy that 17 young people were burnt alive in Surat. My heartfelt condolence to their family and friends. The municipalities of all the cities in our country should be more strict and insistent on making every building adhere to fire safety rules.

Shatrughan Sinha: Too tragic for words! Deeply pained by the horrible & unfortunate incident of fire that broke out in a commercial complex in Sarthana, Surat. More than 15 feared dead, mostly young teenagers. My heartfelt condolences & prayers for those who lost their loved ones. Sad!

Shraddha Kapoor: Deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the Surat fire tragedy. Heartbreaking. Prayers.

Bhumi Pednekar: My condolences to the families of the victims...May their souls rest in peace. This is so heartbreaking. We really need to be more diligent about our security and safety rules and conditions. Stricter laws and better implementation.

Sonu Sood: So sad to hear about the fire tragedy in Surat. So many precious young lives lost. So horrific! My condolences to the families who lost their children. 

Sunil Grover: Prayers for the kids who lost their lives in Surat. It should not have happened.

Guru Randhawa: Prayers for everyone in Surat. May god bless the kids and their families who suffered because of the fire.

Ashoke Pandit: Sad and pained to see the visuals from Surat fire accident that cost 19 lives. The visuals of students jumping down to save their lives sends shivers down your spine. May God give strength to the families of those who lost their loved one's and those injured get well soon