Women, tourists among 23 dead after cylinder blast sparks fire at Goa nightclub
At least 23 people were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late on Saturday night. Most of the victims were kitchen staff, including three women, while three to four tourists were also among the dead. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who visited the site, told reporters that three people succumbed to burn injuries and the others died due to suffocation. Sawant said initial information suggested the nightclub had not complied with fire safety norms. The fire broke out shortly after midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular party venue in Arpora village, about 25 km from the state capital, Panaji. The club opened last year. We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms, Sawant said. This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season in the coastal state, he said. We will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and stringent action will be taken against the guilty, the chief minister added. PM Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the Arpora nightclub blaze. The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Goa CM Pramod Sawant about the situation. The state government is providing all possible assistance to those affected, he wrote on X. Goa police chief Alok Kumar said the fire was triggered by a cylinder blast. All the 23 bodies have been recovered from the premises and sent to the government medical college at Bambolim, local BJP MLA Michael Lobo said. Firefighters and police teams rushed to the scene and carried out rescue efforts through the night, Lobo told reporters. Lobo said officials would conduct a fire-safety audit of all clubs to ensure such incidents do not recur. The Calangute panchayat will issue notices to all nightclubs on Monday asking them to provide fire-safety permissions, the MLA said. He added that licences of clubs lacking the required permissions would be cancelled.
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