New Delhi/Ahmedabad:

A newly married couple was among the 27 people killed in a massive fire at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday evening.

Akshay Dholaria, his wife Khyati and sister-in-law Harita were celebrating the couple’s wedding at the gaming zone, called TRP, when a huge fire swept through the facility.

Akshay, 24, who lived with his parents in Canada, had come to Rajkot to marry 20-year-old Khyati. They had a court marriage last Saturday – a week before the tragedy occurred.

A grand wedding ceremony was scheduled later this year.

Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition. While Akshay’s body was identified with the help of the ring he was wearing, the bodies of Khyati and Harita have been sent for DNA testing.

The gaming zone, called TRP, was packed with visitors due to a weekend discount offer with tickets priced at just Rs 99. It is suspected that the fire might have started due to a short circuit, but officials said that the exact cause will be known only after a probe.

Officials said that the amusement centre was operating without a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire clearance and also had just one exit.

The owner and manager of the TRP game zone have been detained for questioning.

According to fire officials, the reason behind the massive blaze has not been ascertained yet.

Twenty-eight people, including nine children, have died in the massive fire that broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Saturday. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site at Nana-Mava road on Sunday morning and a hospital where the injured are being treated.

Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vinayak Patel said that DNA samples have been collected to identify the bodies of the victims.

“The bodies are charred beyond recognition, and we have completed the process of collecting the DNA samples of the bodies and the relatives who have claimed them so that the identity of the deceased can be established,” he said, adding that the three people injured in the incident are now in a stable condition.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing the fire tragedy has been asked to submit the report at the earliest.

Mr Sanghvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought information about the incident from the Chief Minister and directed strong action against the culprits.

Rajkot:

A massive fire broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on Saturday evening and four people have died, fire officials said. 

The Gujarat Chief Minister has instructed the authorities to provide immediate relief to the victims.

“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 instructed to prioritize arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured,” Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said. 

રાજકોટમાં ગેમ ઝોનમાં સર્જાયેલી આગની દુર્ઘટનામાં તત્કાલ બચાવ અને રાહત કામગીરી માટે મહાનગરપાલિકા અને વહીવટી તંત્રને સૂચનાઓ આપી છે. ઇજાગ્રસ્ત લોકોને તાત્કાલિક સારવાર મળે તે માટેની વ્યવસ્થાઓને અગ્રતા આપવા પણ સૂચના આપી છે.

— Bhupendra Patel (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Bhupendrapbjp) May 25, 2024

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

“I cannot ascertain the reason behind the fire. It’s a matter of investigation. Rescue operations are underway and several fire engines have been deployed. We will speak to fire brigade officials to discuss what action should be taken,” he added.

The number of casualties, if any, will be known once the fire is brought under control and a cooling operation is conducted.

A fire officer told ANI that, “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 structure has collapsed and due to wind velocity

#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/Gd9N1Pd8kapic.twitter.com/v09kJcL0V3

— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024

“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 said.

– With Inputs from PTI