25 dead, 6 injured as midnight fire engulfs Goa nightclub

A night of revelry in North Goa turned into a scene of devastation as a fierce blaze tore through Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub in Arpora, just past midnight on Saturday.

What began as a lively weekend gathering turned into tragedy when a cylinder blast ignited an inferno that claimed 25 lives and left six injured, most of them young kitchen workers who never escaped the flames. Among the dead were three women and “three to four tourists,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed after visiting the charred site.

Sawant said that while three victims succumbed to burn injuries, the remaining perished in the dense, deadly smoke that choked the building. The initial inquiry, he added, points to a grim and preventable truth: the nightclub had failed to comply with basic fire safety norms despite operating in the heart of a bustling tourist belt.

Opened just last year, the venue — tucked in the lively lanes of Arpora, about 25 km from Panaji — had drawn crowds throughout the peak season. But when the fire erupted, fuelled by the blast and fanned by the night breeze, celebration gave way to chaos as firefighters and police battled through the dark hours to rescue survivors and retrieve bodies.

“All 23 bodies have been recovered and shifted to the Goa Medical College in Bambolim,” said local MLA Michael Lobo, who remained on site through the night. He added that the calamity has prompted an immediate push for accountability: fire safety audits will be conducted across all clubs in the region, and the Calangute panchayat will issue notices on Monday demanding updated fire clearances. Establishments operating without mandatory permissions, Lobo warned, will face license cancellation.

The shockwaves of the tragedy reached New Delhi as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the incident “deeply saddening”, spoke to chief minister Sawant and assured full central support.

In an official statement, the PMO announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the families of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured through the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Sawant, expressing grief over the disaster during the state’s busiest tourism window, vowed a comprehensive inquiry and “stringent action” against both the nightclub management and officials who enabled operations despite glaring violations.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed grief over the tragic fire at Arpora, Goa, which claimed 23 lives. She offered prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured and called for a thorough investigation, full accountability, and strict adherence to safety norms to prevent such incidents in the future.

"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the 25 souls lost in the tragic fire at Arpora, Goa. This is an unimaginable loss. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured. This tragedy demands a thorough investigation, full accountability, and measures to ensure that every safety norm is upheld to avoid such incidents in the future," Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote on X.

With PTI inputs