The death toll in the fire that broke out at an indoor gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot stood at 27 as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the incident site on Nana-Mava Road on Sunday morning. He also visited the hospital where the injured were admitted.
Four children under the age of 12 were among the 27 people killed in the massive fire that swept through a game zone teeming with people enjoying a summer vacation outing on Saturday evening.
The bodies were charred beyond recognition, Rajkot district collector Prabhav Joshi said, reports The Indian Express.
“DNA samples of bodies of victims and their kin were taken and flown to Gandhinagar for DNA matching for identification of bodies,” the collector told The Indian Express, adding that 25 of the 27 persons killed have been identified.
Two of the victims are children, he added.
The owner and manager of the game zone have been arrested.
SIT Probe Ordered
Members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) met with local authorities in Rajkot today. The five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), has been formed by the state government to investigate the incident and submit a report within 72 hours.
Additional Director General of Police Subhash Trivedi, who heads the SIT, expressed his condolences to reporters on Saturday night before the meeting. He described the incident as unfortunate and sad and emphasized that the inquiry would commence promptly to identify those accountable and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The exact cause of the massive fire has not yet been identified.
Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi also arrived in Rajkot late Saturday night and participated in the meeting.
“The Prime Minister has been briefed by the Chief Minister about the incident and has expressed deep sorrow. The PM has instructed that stringent action be taken against those responsible,” he stated.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have all expressed their condolences over the incident.