Massive fire breaks out at Rajkot gaming zone; 20 dead

Twenty people including children were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat's Rajkot city on Saturday evening (May 25), officials said.

Efforts are underway to control the blaze and rescue those trapped inside.

Temporary structure

The blaze erupted at a temporary structure at the TRP Game Zone, and among the victims were children who were present at the spot in large numbers due to ongoing summer vacation.

"Four persons have died. The exact toll will be known only after the rescue operation is completed," said Rajkot Municipal Commissioner Anand Patel.

He said that the immediate focus of the administration is on relief and rescue operations.

Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava told ANI, "Fire broke out in the TRP gaming zone in the afternoon. The rescue operations are on. The fire is under control. We are trying to retrieve as many bodies as possible. As of now, around 20 bodies have been recovered and they have been sent to the hospital. Investigations will be carried out. The gaming zone is owned by a person called Yuvraj Singh Solanki. We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths which have occurred. The further investigation will take place once we complete the rescue operations."

What CM Patel said

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted that the city administration has been instructed to carry out immediate rescue and relief operations at the game zone.

"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. It has been instructed to prioritise arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured," Patel tweeted.

In another post, he announced compensation to the families of the victims and said SIT has been formed to probe the incident. "The state government will provide Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. In this regard, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed and assigned to investigate the entire incident."

Fire officer I V Kher told ANI, "The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained. The attempts to douse the fire are underway. We have not received any message of missing persons. We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary structure has collapsed and due to wind velocity..."

"We will then be able to find out the exact number of casualties inside the zone (after fire is controlled). We will also investigate the cause of the fire, and a message has been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to shut down," he said.

Fire Station Officer R A Joban said, " We cannot say anything about the exact number... We are bringing down bodies from both sides... The search operation is underway..."

(With agency inputs)