At least 27 killed, including four kids, in massive fire at Gaming Zone in Rajkot

At least 27 persons, including four children under the age of 12, were killed in a massive fire that swept through a game zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on Saturday evening, officials said.

The death toll is likely to go up, they said.

Police have detained the owner of the TRP Game Zone and the manager while the state government assigned the probe to a Special Investigation Team.

Relief and Rescue operations have been underway at the affected game zone for more than six hours after the blaze erupted at a structure built using metal and fibre sheets for gaming activities at around 4:30 pm, officials said, adding that the structure collapsed due to the huge fire.

“So far we have confirmed the death of 27 persons in the fire incident. The bodies are charred beyond recognition and hence their identification is difficult,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Radhika Bharai.

ACP Vinayak Patel said the deceased included at least four children under the age of 12.

The death toll is likely to increase as relief operations is going on, district officials said.