A massive fire broke out at the TRP Game Zone in Rajkot’s Nana Mava area today, reportedly killing atleast 24 people.
Fire department teams were at the scene battling the blaze. Many children were reportedly rescued.
Police commissioner Raju Bhargav and Rajkot district collector Prabhav Joshi rushed to the spot.
Talking over this incident to the media, IV Kher, chief fire officer, said “My fire team was the first respondent here, the game zone was ablaze from all four sides. It is difficult to say exact death count as the rescue is still underway.”
Locals, however, allege that a short circuit is suspected to have caused this massive blaze. They added that a similar short circuit occurred on May 24, which was overlooked by the gaming zone authorities.
The fire was slated to be significantly fierce, as smoke billows could be spotted from five kilometres away.
Around seven JCB vehicles are clearing the debris from the incident site.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has taken cognizance of the tragic incident, and posted on his X account, “Instructions have been given to the municipal corporation and the administration for immediate rescue and relief operations in the fire incident in the game zone in Rajkot. They are also instructed to prioritise arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured.”
The bodies were burned to an extent where they could not be identified. Commissioner Bhargav said in this regard, “Many bodies have been burned. At present, the identity of some bodies has not been established. We will identify the bodies through DNA tests.”