At least 25 people were killed after a massive blaze engulfed a Goa nightclub in the early hours of Sunday. Initial reports pointed to a cylinder blast — with multiple people in the vicinity reporting that they had heard a “massive explosion”. Emergency teams were rushed to the area around midnight and authorities worked through the night to bring the situation under control.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the victims were kitchen workers within the club and around three to four tourists. According to a PTI report, the fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast. Sawant also said that the state government would conduct an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and whether fire safety norms and building rules were followed.
‘Heard a loud explosion’
Goa DGP Alok Kumar said the police control room had received an alert soon after midnight — with the fire brigade and ambulances soon rushing to the restaurant-cum-club in Arpora. The fire was brought under control by morning and several people were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Locals told ANI that they heard a massive explosion around midnight and later learnt about the blaze. A security guard working at a restaurant close to the affected nightclub told ANI that he had “heard a massive explosion”. They later learnt “that the fire broke out after a cylinder blast”.
“I heard an explosion while I was heading home. We later saw ambulances arriving at the spot. When we reached the location, we saw that the incident had already occurred,” a local told ANI.
PM Modi condoles incident
“The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant Ji about the situation. The State Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
The office of the PM also announced that an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh would be given to the next of kin for each deceased in the Arpora mishap. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 from PMNRF.