The Economic Times

When every crisis is a catastrophe in India due to poor state of emergency awareness

In December 2025, a fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa killed 25 people, highlighting Indias lack of emergency literacy. Experts say most deaths in disasters occur not from the hazard itself but from panic, poor crowd management, blocked exits, and untrained bystanders. Citizens often do not know basic life-saving skills such as CPR, first aid, or fire response, and fear legal repercussions despite the Good Samaritan Law.