At least 27 people, including four children, lost their lives in a massive fire at a gaming arcade in Rajkot on Saturday. The tragedy occurred while many families were spending a hot weekend afternoon at the TRP Game Zone on Nana-Mava Road.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire engulfed a temporary dome-like structure, which subsequently collapsed, trapping dozens of people underneath. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze and spent over four hours clearing the debris.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Patel stated, “The bodies are completely charred and it is difficult to identify them.” Sudhir Desai, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Zone 1, reported that 24 bodies had been recovered and sent to Rajkot Civil Hospital, with efforts ongoing to determine the exact number of children and adults among the deceased. Later, PTI confirmed the death toll had risen to 27, including four children under the age of 12.
Witnesses reported that several people, including children, were playing games when the fire broke out. The blaze caused the dome-like structure to collapse, trapping many inside. Firefighters and officials arrived quickly to rescue those trapped.
Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi said the Fire Control Room received a call about the blaze at around 4:30 pm. Fire tenders and ambulances were dispatched, and a high-level committee was formed to investigate the incident. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and the arcade’s owner has been taken into custody.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the tragedy, stating that the local administration was providing all possible assistance. Modi spoke with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to inquire about rescue efforts. The Chief Minister announced an ex gratia payment of ₹4 lakh to the kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 to each injured person. He also established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargav announced that the cause of the blaze would be investigated and that all gaming zones in the city had been ordered to close operations. Chief Minister Patel expressed condolences and emphasized the importance of preventing such incidents in the future, stating that negligence would not be tolerated.
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and criticized the Gujarat government for its “lax attitude,” demanding accountability and strict punishment for those responsible.
