GOA: At least 23 people have died after a fire tore through a popular nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora village late on Saturday night, officials said. Most of the victims were staff members working at the venue. Goa’s police chief Alok Kumar told news agency PTI that the blaze was triggered by a cylinder blast inside Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub that opened last year and is located about 25km from the state capital, Panaji. “All the 23 bodies have been recovered,” he said, adding that the victims were almost entirely club employees. Three women were among the dead, according to chief minister Pramod Sawant. Sawant, who visited the site shortly after the fire was brought under control, said that while three people died of burn injuries, the remaining victims appeared to have succumbed to suffocation. He added that initial information suggested the club had not complied with fire safety norms. “We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms,” the chief minister said. “This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season.” Earlier statements from local authorities suggested no tourists were harmed, but Sawant later said that “three to four tourists” were also among those killed. Local MLA Michael Lobo, who was also at the scene, told reporters that all the bodies had been sent to the Goa Medical College in Bambolim. He said firefighters and police teams worked through the night to recover the victims and secure the area. Lobo said the Calangute panchayat would issue notices to all nightclubs on Monday, asking them to furnish valid fire safety permissions. Licences of establishments found operating without the necessary clearances would be cancelled, he added. Authorities have ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident, and a fire safety audit of all clubs in the area is expected to begin shortly.
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