A fire broke out on Saturday evening in a family entertainment venue in Gujarat, India, killing at least 27 people, many of them youngsters, according to a government official.
According to Reuters, rescue attempts were still underway in the Rajkot district.
"We are focused on rescue operations and saving lives. We will take stern action against those who are involved in this incident," Mayor Nayana Pedhadiya stated.
Television visuals showed an enormous blaze consuming the TRP gaming zone and dense clouds of smoke rising from the scene.
According to a police official at the local public hospital, several of the dead bodies were so badly burned that they were unrecognizable.
In a message on social networking site X, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the local administration was striving to assist people impacted.
"I am quite disturbed by the fire incident in Rajkot. "My thoughts are with everyone who has lost their beloved one," Modi said.
"The cause of the fire has yet to be determined," IV Kher, the district's chief fire officer, told Reuters.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said an inquiry into the incident had been passed over to a Special Inquiry Team, and media reports stated two people had been held by Rajkot police in connection with it.