(New Delhi) At least sixteen 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, responsible for the Rajkot municipality in the state of Gujarat, specifying that the toll was likely to rise.
More than 300 people were in a room of a two-story structure at 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.”