At least 20 dead, mostly children, in India fire: officials

Rajkot, Gujarat: At least 20 people were charred to death in a massive fire that broke out at a game zone in Gujarat's Rajkot on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

According to officials, the fire broke out at TRP Game Zone.

Speaking to ANI, Rajkot Commissioner of Police, Raju Bhargava said, "The fire is under control, and the rescue operations are ongoing."

"Around 20 bodies have been recovered and sent to the hospital for post-mortem examination. A probe will be taken up after the rescue and dousing operations," the Commissioner said.

"The gaming zone is owned by a person named Yuvraj Singh Solanki. We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths that have occurred," he said.

"Further investigation will be taken up once we complete the rescue operations here," he added.

The exact reason behind the fire is not yet clear.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed the civic body and the Rajkot district administration to undertake immediate rescue and relief operations.

"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 also been instructed to prioritize arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured," CM Patel said in a post on X.

According to officials, the temporary structure of the commercial establishment came down after the massive fire, trapping dozens of people under it.

Upon receiving information, a team of fire tenders and officials reached the spot and started an operation to rescue people trapped underneath.

The collapse of the structure also made it difficult for fire department officials to carry out the dousing operation.

"We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary structure collapsed due to wind velocity," said the officer.