Indian authorities ordered an investigation and offered compensation to victims on Sunday after a fire ripped through Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular restaurant, cocktail bar and club in Arpora in the western state of Goa, killing 25.
“Today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa,” said the chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant.
“I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility” for the fire in the village of Arpora, Sawant posted on X, saying six injured people were in stable condition and receiving medical care.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to Sawant and offered condolences to the bereaved families. Modi posted on X that his office would offer compensation of up to 200,000 rupees ($2,200) to each family of the victims and 50,000 rupees to the injured.
RM Block
Police were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club just after midnight, Goa’s police chief told the ANI news agency.
Authorities worked through the night to bring the fire under control, and all the bodies have been recovered, ANI reported.
At least four of the dead were tourists and 14 were club staff, police told ANI, in which Reuters holds a minority stake.
It appeared that the fire started on the first floor and then engulfed the rest of the building. A preliminary inquiry by police suggested most of those who died were trapped in the basement area of the club and suffocated.
Images from the scene showed vast flames ripping through the building as it was reduced to a blackened shell and investigators combed the wreckage on Sunday morning.
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Speaking to the Indian Express, a Goa police official said that many of the guests had been gathered on the first floor for a DJ set when a fire started at about 11.45pm.
He said: “In the ensuing panic and chaos, many guests ran towards the exit and reached safety. The staff members working in the basement were effectively trapped because it lacked an exit and was engulfed in smoke. Some guests also seem to have rushed towards the basement and got trapped.”
Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of both Indian and international tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laidback coastal atmosphere. According to government data, about 5.5 million tourists visited Goa in the first half of this year, with 270,000 visiting from abroad.
Goa politician Michael Lobo called for a fire safety audit of all the clubs. “Tourists have always considered Goa a very safe destination. The fire incident is quite disturbing, and such incidents should not happen in the future,” he said.
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations.
In May at least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a three-storey building in the Indian city of Hyderabad. A month before that a fierce blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing at least 15 people. Some people clambered out of windows and on to the roof to escape. In 2024 at least 24 people died after a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in the western state of Gujarat. – Reuters/Guardian
