A local official said that at least 24 people, most of them children, were killed in a fire that broke out on Saturday in an amusement park in western India.
Prabhav Joshi, the official in charge of the Rajkot municipality in Gujarat state, added that nine people were taken to hospital, and the death toll is likely to rise.
He added, “The police arrested four people linked to the gaming room for questioning.” “We are trying to find out more from the owners of the establishment.”
France Press agency
More than 300 people were in a room in a two-storey building at TRP Amusement Park when the fire broke out over the summer weekend, Rajkot fire officer Ilish Kher said.
He added, “People are trapped due to the collapse of a temporary building near the entrance, which made the evacuation difficult.” In addition, the spread of fire was facilitated by the highly flammable nature of the materials.
France Press agency
Pictures taken at the site show a corrugated iron structure, a large part of which has collapsed. It took about an hour to put out the fire.
Pictures on social media (which AFP has not yet been able to verify) show flames engulfing the building and causing a large column of black smoke to rise into the sky.
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Firefighters said it was suspected that an electrical short circuit caused the disaster.
Gujarat is the birthplace of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on X: “I am deeply saddened by the fire in Rajkot. My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones. Prayers for the injured.
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Pictures posted on the establishment's Instagram account show that it contains a bowling alley, a go-kart track, and a trampoline.
Fires spread in India due to the poor condition of buildings, overcrowding, and non-compliance with safety rules.
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In February, 11 people died in a fire that destroyed a paint factory in the capital, New Delhi.
In 2022, at least 27 people died and dozens were injured after a massive fire broke out in a four-storey commercial building in the city.
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In 2016, more than a hundred people were killed after a huge fireworks explosion in the southern state of Kerala.
