At least 24 people were killed, mainly children, in a fire that broke out on Saturday at an amusement park in western India, a local official said.
In addition, nine people were hospitalized, added Prabhav Joshi, manager in the Rajkot municipality in the state of Gujarat, specifying that the toll was likely to rise. “Police arrested four people linked to the games room for questioning,” he added. “We are trying to find out more from the owners of the establishment.”
More than 300 people were in a room of a two-story structure in the TRP amusement park when the fire broke out over the summer holiday weekend, Ilesh Kher told reporters , fire officer of Rajkot. “People were trapped by the collapse of a temporary structure near the entrance, which made evacuation difficult,” he added. In addition, the spread of the fire was facilitated by the nature of the materials, which were very flammable.
Photos taken on site show a corrugated iron structure, largely collapsed. It took almost an hour to put out the flames. Firefighters said a short circuit was suspected of causing the disaster.
Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on X: “Extremely distressed by the fire in Rajkot. My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones. Prayers for the injured.
Fires are common in India due to the poor condition of buildings, overcrowding and lack of compliance with safety regulations. In February, eleven people lost their lives in a fire that ravaged a paint factory in the capital New Delhi. In 2022, at least 27 people died and dozens more were injured after a gigantic fire broke out in a four-story commercial building in the city.
