Gujarat News: Fire tragedy in Rajkot gaming zone shocks Gujarat

Gujarat: There was an atmosphere of joy in the Chauhan family in Rajkot. An aunt and cousins ​​living from far away had come to visit the family and wanted to spend the last days of summer vacation with fun and games. Fifteen-year-old Rajbha Chauhan’s younger cousins ​​wanted to enjoy the weekend evening at TRP Game Zone on Kalavad Road, which was offering unlimited fun at a discount of Rs 99. Known as a ‘one stop solution’ for thrill seekers, the game zone was a popular spot among youngsters and school children for its bowling alley, go-karting and trampoline park. Rajbha was not keen at first but was persuaded to accompany his cousins, father Pratapsinh said. His twin sister stayed back at home. Minutes after entering the game zone, Chauhan received a call from his frightened sister-in-law that the indoor structure had caught fire. Her husband Virendrasinh Jadeja (40) rushed to the third floor to bring down his son and niece, both 12 years old. Rajbha said she was playing near the trampoline on the ground floor.
The game zone on the party plot had indoor and outdoor gaming facilities, which was packed with visitors on Saturday evening. The indoor structure was made of fabricated tin sheds fitted with air conditioners and the outdoor facility had a go-karting track. The premises had asbestos sheets, tyres, gas cylinders, a large quantity of petrol for go-karting vehicles and diesel for running inverters. Several eyewitnesses told Outlook that a team of welders was carrying out construction work on the ground floor while children were playing in the gaming zone on the first and second floors. With only one way for entry and exit, a stampede broke out and very few visitors managed to escape.