New Delhi: A massive fire engulfed a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday evening and at least 20 people have died in the incident. Efforts to douse the fire are underway.

Speaking to media Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargav said,  “A fire broke out at the TRP gaming zone and there is information of some casualties.”

“We will then be able to find out the exact number of casualties inside the zone (after fire is controlled). We will also investigate the cause of the fire, and a message has been issued to all the gaming zones in the city to shut down,” he added.  

“The rescue operations are on. The fire is under control. We are trying to retrieve as many bodies as possible. As of now, around 20 bodies have been recovered and they have been sent to the hospital for further investigation. Investigations will be carried out,” added Bhargava.

The commissioner said that the police will be registering an offence for negligence against the gaming zome owner and a probe will be launched once the rescue operation is concluded.

“The gaming zone is owned by a person called Yuvraj Singh Solanki. We will be registering an offence for negligence and the deaths which have occurred. The further investigation will take place once we complete the rescue operations here,” said Bhargava.

#WATCH | Rajkot, Gujarat: Fire officer IV Kher says, “The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained. The attempts to douse the fire are underway. We have not received any message of missing persons. We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary… https://t.co/Gd9N1Pd8ka pic.twitter.com/v09kJcL0V3
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

Speaking to news agency ANI Fire Officer IV Kher said that the reason for the fire was yet to be ascertained. “The attempts to douse the fire are underway. We have not received any message of missing persons. We are facing difficulty in the firefighting operation because the temporary structure has collapsed and due to wind velocity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel took on ‘X’ to respond to the incident and wrote, “Instructions have been given to the Municipal Corporation and the administration for immediate rescue and relief operations in the fire incident in the game zone in Rajkot. It has also been instructed to prioritize arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured.”

(This is a developing story.)