At least 23 people died in a fire at a nightclub in North Goa after a cylinder exploded late Saturday night. Police gave this information.
State Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that most of the people killed worked in the kitchen of the club. He said the dead included three women and “three to four tourists”.
Sawant, who reached the spot, told reporters that out of 23 people, three died of burns while others died of suffocation. The Chief Minister said that as per initial information, the night club did not follow fire safety norms.
The fire broke out just after midnight in a nightclub called ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’. This night club is located in Arpora, about 25 kilometers from the state capital Panaji. “We will take action against the club management and officials who ignored the violation of safety norms,” Sawant said.
Sawant said, “This unfortunate incident has happened in the coastal state at a time when a large number of tourists come here.” The Chief Minister said, “We will thoroughly investigate the incident and strict action will be taken against the culprits.” Goa Police Chief Alok Kumar told PTI that the fire was caused by a cylinder burst.
“All 23 bodies have been recovered from the premises and have been taken to the Government Medical College in Bambolim,” said local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Michael Lobo.
Lobo told reporters that the fire department and police teams immediately reached the spot and were engaged in rescue operations throughout the night. He said the authorities would conduct a fire safety audit of all the clubs to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
The MLA said that Calangute Panchayat will issue a notice to all night clubs on Monday asking them to show fire safety permissions. He said the licenses of clubs that do not have the necessary permissions will be cancelled.
