Firefighters try to douse the fire at the commercial complex in Surat on Wednesday.

According to information reaching here, the fire broke out at Amrutaya Spa and Gym in the Citylight area where five people, including the two women from Sikkim, Manisha (24) and Benu H Limbu (30), were working. While the other three managed to escape, the two Sikkimese women perished in the fire.

It is understood that the two female spa staff members had locked themselves in a washroom to escape the smoke, but died due to suffocation. At the time of the recovery of their bodies, the faces were believed to be unrecognizable due to severe burns.

Sikkim chief minister P. S. Golay has expressed sorrow at the tragic loss of Sikkimese lives in the Gujarat fire and conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased. “In this difficult time, we are with you. We are in contact with the Gujarat government, and have directed our chief resident commissioner in Delhi to initiate steps to ensure all necessary cooperation and help. May the departed souls rest in eternal peace and their families have the courage to bear their irreparable losses,” he said.