Gujarat: Children among 22 killed in Rajkot game zone fire

Rajkot, May 25: At least 22 persons, including children, 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.

Relief and Rescue operations have been underway at the affected TRP game zone for more than five hours after the blaze erupted at a fibre dome constructed 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 22 persons in the fire incident. The bodies are completely charred and it is difficult to identify them," said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel.

According to eyewitnesses, several people, including children were playing games at the game zone, located on Nana-Mava Road, when the tragedy struck.

Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi said the Fire Control Room received a call at around 4:30 pm regarding the blaze at the game zone.

"Fire tenders and ambulances rushed to the spot to douse the flames. The fire caused the collapse of the structure, and debris is being cleared," Joshi added.

However, the exact cause of the massive fire is not known.

The state government has assigned the investigation to a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief at the loss of lives in the fire tragedy and said the local administration is working to provide all possible assistance to those affected.

Modi spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to enquire about the rescue and relief efforts.

"The fire tragedy in Rajkot has saddened us all. In my telephone conversation with him a short while ago, Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel Ji told me about the efforts underway to ensure all possible assistance is provided to those who have been affected," he said on X.

Patel has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each injured. He also set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.

After the fire broke out, Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargav told media persons that the cause of the blaze would be investigated and that a message had been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to close operations.

"The fire tragedy in Rajkot is heart-wrenching. I express my heartfelt condolences to the persons who lost their lives in this incident and their families. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured," Patel tweeted.

"The state government will provide Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand to the injured. It is very important to ensure that such an incident does not happen again," he said.

Patel further said that any kind of negligence would not be tolerated and assigned the investigation of the entire incident to a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Gujarat HC takes suo motu cognizance of Rajkot game zone fire, calls it man-made disaster

A special bench of the Gujarat High Court on Sunday took suo motu cognizance of the fire incident at a game zone in Rajkot which left 27 persons dead and said it was prima facie a "man-made disaster".

Such gaming zones and recreational facilities have come up without the necessary approvals from competent authorities, the bench of Justices Biren Vaishnav and Devan Desai observed.

The bench directed advocates of the Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot municipal corporations to appear before it on Monday with instructions as to under what provisions of law the authorities led these units to be set up or continue to operate under their jurisdiction.

Four children under the age of 12 were among the 27 persons killed and three others injured in the massive fire that swept through the game zone in Rajkot teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing on Saturday evening, as per the officials.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava road on Sunday morning and a hospital where the injured persons were admitted.

"We are shocked to read newspaper reports which indicate that the gaming zone at Rajkot appears to have taken advantage of the loopholes in the Gujarat Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (GDCR). These entertainment zones, as newspapers suggest, have come up without the necessary approvals from the competent authorities," the court observed.

The HC also wanted to know from the state government and the municipal corporations "whether such licenses, including the licenses to its use and compliance of fire safety regulations" were given to these respective (entertainment) zones that are in territorial jurisdiction of these corporations.

These entertainment zones, as newspapers suggest, have come up without the necessary approvals from the competent authorities, the court noted.

Quoting newspaper reports, the high court said temporary structures were created at the TRP game zone in Rajkot in order to overcome the hurdles caused in taking necessary permissions, no-objection certificates, including the fire NOC and construction permission.

Not just Rajkot, such game zones have come up in Ahmedabad city as well and they "pose a significant threat to public safety, specially the innocent children," it said.

"Apart from having constructed such gaming zones/ recreational activities, they have been put to use apparently, according to our information through the newspaper reports, without permission," the court said.

"Prima facie, a man-made disaster has occurred where innocent lives of children have been lost" and families have grieved their loss, it said.

A stock of highly inflammable materials such as petrol, fibres and fibre glass sheets were stored at the Rajkot game zone where the fire occurred, the court noted.

The court listed the suo motu petition for further hearing on Monday, with a direction to the panel advocates for the respective corporations to appear before it with instructions as to "under what provisions of law these corporations led these gaming zones/recreational facilities to be set up or continue and be put to use."

The bench also allowed a civil application in a PIL on fire safety being heard by the court that was moved by the party-in-person, Amit Panchal, for urgent hearing.

Panchal in his note claimed the devastating fire shows there has been non-compliance of provisions of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 , Gujarat Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2013, the rules and regulations framed under it, as well as directions issued by the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court.

Inputs from PTI