As the ash settles at the Rajkot game zone site, where 27 people died in a massive fire on Saturday evening, the faces behind the numbers are coming to the fore. The DNA test results of the charred bodies are coming in, as families of those still missing keep hoping against hope.
Eight members of the Jadeja family had stepped out for a weekend outing at the TRP game zone. Five of them, three in the 10-15 years age group, never made it home.
Devikaba Jadeja’s last memory of her father Virendrasinh Jadeja (42) is him rushing to the next floor to save his son and other family members after the fire broke out.
“My parents, brother, and my maternal uncle’s family went to the game zone. We were at a restaurant while my two brothers and sister went to the upper floor to play a trampoline game. We were sitting in the restaurant when the fire broke out. My father and uncle rushed to where my brothers and sister were playing on the trampoline. A couple of blasts occurred and nobody could escape,” she said, according to a PTI report.
Devikaba said there was no equipment to fight the flames and they heard no alarm. “There was no fire exit, because of which nobody could get out safely,” she said.
Besides Virendrasinh Jadeja, his son Dharmraj, brother-in-law Om Gohil, nephew Pradip and niece Devarshi died in the fire. Their charred bodies were identified through DNA testing.
As the Jadejas grieve, the Dosaras are looking for answers and hoping against home. Vivek Dosara (26), a resident of Gir Somnath district, was visiting his in-laws with his wife Khushali (24) in Rajkot. The two had married two months back and were to return to Gir Somnath soon. On Saturday afternoon, Vivek, Khushali and her sister Trisha went to hang out at the gaming zone. Their families have not heard from them since. Their families have not been able to contact them, and Vivek’s parents have now left for Rajkot.
Rajkot Collector Prabhav Joshi has said DNA samples of all victims have been sent to the forensic lab in Gandhinagar by air ambulance.
“To be doubly sure and to ensure there is no issue of bodies getting exchanged, we decided to send samples of all the bodies,” he said.
But for the families of those missing, the wait is tough. One part of them seeks closure, the other wants to hold on to hope.
Bodies of 11 victims of the fire have been handed over to their families so far, authorities have said.
The fire, it is suspected, started due to a short circuit and a detailed probe is on to ascertain the actual cause. Two police inspectors and three civic officials have been suspended for gross negligence in allowing the game zone to operate without necessary approvals.
