Goa nightclub fire: All 25 victims identified as probe deepens, 20 staff and five tourists among dead
The state government published the full list of the dead after families and relatives completed the identification process.
A fire broke out at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’, a nightclub in Arpora, in the early hours of Sunday, turning a crowded night event into one of the deadliest fire incidents in Goa in recent years.
Four of the five tourists who lost their lives were from Delhi; among them were three members of the same family (Saroj Joshi, Anita Joshi and Kamla Joshi) and Vinod Kumar. They were identified by a relative, Bhavna Joshi. Officials said the fifth tourist was Ishak from Karnataka, identified by his father, Doctor Hussain.
The remaining 20 victims were staff working the night shift at the club. They came from many states and neighboring Nepal, reflecting the bulk of the migrant workforce employed at the venue.
Five personnel were from Uttarakhand, four from Nepal, three from Jharkhand and Assam, two from Maharashtra, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from West Bengal.
While grieving families, most of whom are migrant workers, begin the painful process of taking their loved ones home, the state government announced that it will give compensation of 2 lakh rupees to the next of kin of the dead and 50,000 rupees to the injured.
Among the victims, the largest group was from Uttarakhand: Jitendra Singh, Satish Singh, Surendra Singh, Sumit Negi and Manish Singh. The four Nepalese citizens were identified as Churna Bahadur Pun, Vivek Katwal, Sabin and Sudeep. While the victims in Jharkhand included Mohit, Pradeep Mahto and Binod Mahto, those from Assam were Manojit Mal, Rahul Tanti and Digambar Patir.
Arrests, investigation, and government action
Police said the fire broke out shortly after midnight, when the club was filled with about 100 people.
It was reported that most of the deceased were trapped in the kitchen and storage areas in the basement and could not find an exit due to the rapid spread of dense smoke. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said only two victims died of burns while the remaining 23 suffocated from smoke.
On Sunday evening, four members of the club’s management – general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajveer Singhania and door manager Priyanshu Thakur – were arrested.
An FIR has also been filed against the owners of the club, Saurav and Gaurav Luthra, for which an arrest warrant has been issued on charges such as culpable homicide and operating without mandatory security clearances.
In addition, three senior government officials, including the then panchayats administrator, were suspended for their alleged role in allowing the club to start operations in 2023. Authorities also sealed off another establishment linked to the same supporters, Romeo Lane in Vagator, as part of a wider crackdown.
Preliminary findings indicate that “electric fireworks” used during the live performance triggered the fire. The government has set up an empowered inquiry committee, which is expected to submit its report within a week, and a second panel, led by the revenue minister, to inspect clubs that receive heavy footfall and draft a standard operating procedure to prevent similar incidents.
(with PTI inputs)
