Tourists among 25 dead in Goa club blaze, CM orders inquiry

A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including tourists, the state's chief minister said on Sunday.

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The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers from the state capital, Panaji. All the bodies have been recovered.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire “deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Sawant said most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said.

Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations.

Sawant ordered a magisterial inquiry into the devastating fire at a nightclub in Arpora and confirmed swift action against those responsible.

Sawant, who visited the site early in the morning to assess the damage and review rescue operations, told NDTV that the general manager of the nightclub has been arrested, and an arrest warrant has been issued against the club’s owner.