At least 27 people killed in major fire at amusement park in India | India

At least 27 people, most of them children, have died in a major fire at an amusement park in western India, police said.

The fire broke out in the park in the city of Rajkot in the state of Gujarat on Saturday. Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said the fire was under control and rescue operations were underway.

More than 300 people were in a two-storey building in the park when the fire broke out as it was a summer holiday weekend, Rajkot fire officer Ilesh Kher told reporters.

Prabhav Joshi, district collector of Rajkot, said, “People were trapped when a makeshift structure of the facility near the entrance collapsed, making it difficult for people to come out.”

The footage showed firefighters clearing debris around collapsed metal roof structures that, according to media reports, were used as bowling, go-kart and trampoline facilities.

Bhargava said the police would file a charge of negligence against the amusement park owner Yuvraj Singh Solanki.

“We will file a criminal complaint for negligence and the deaths. Further investigations will be carried out once we have completed the rescue operation,” he said.

The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was “extremely shocked by the fire. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for the injured.”

It took almost an hour to extinguish the fire. About a dozen ambulances took the injured to the hospital.

Firefighters said the cause was probably a short circuit, and police at the scene said the bodies of the dead had severe burns, making identification difficult.

Fires are common in India due to poor construction practices, overcrowding and lack of safety regulations.

In February, eleven people were killed in a fire at a paint factory in the capital New Delhi.

In 2022, at least 27 people died and dozens more were injured when a major fire broke out in a four-story commercial building in the city.

In 2016, more than 100 people were killed in a major explosion during a banned fireworks display in the southern state of Kerala.