NEW DELHI, May  25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - At least 24 people were killed, most
of them children, when a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in
India on Saturday, officials said.

       Footage posted on social media, which AFP was not able to immediately
verify, showed a ferocious blaze engulfing a structure, with black smoke
pouring into the sky.

       Prabhav Joshi, the district collector of Rajkot, in the western state of
Gujarat, told AFP that 24 people had died in the inferno, "mostly children",
and another half-dozen were hospitalised.

       "The police have detained four persons associated with the game zone for
questioning," he said. "We are trying to get more details about the owners of
the facility."

       More than 300 people were in the two-storey structure at the TRP amusement
and theme park when the blaze broke out as it was a summer holiday weekend,
Rajkot fire officer Ilesh Kher told reporters.

       "People got trapped as a temporary structure at the facility collapsed near
the entrance, making it difficult for the people to come out," he said.

       The flames spread rapidly because of its flammable material, he added.
       Pictures from the scene showed a corrugated metal structure largely in
ruins.

       Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
posted on X: "Extremely distressed by the fire mishap in Rajkot. My thoughts
are with all those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for the injured."

       
       - Fires common in India -
           
       It took nearly an hour to douse the fire, with about a dozen ambulances
carrying the injured to hospital.

       Fire department officials said a short-circuit was suspected as the cause
and police at the site said the bodies of the dead were heavily burned, making
identification difficult.

       Pictures from an Instagram account that appears to belong to the facility
show a lively gaming and recreational centre, with teenagers enjoying
activities such as bowling, go-karting and trampolining.

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

       In February, 11 people were killed in a fire that ripped through a paint
factory in the capital New Delhi.

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

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