25 killed in blaze at packed Goa nightclub

Fireworks during dance performance likely caused blaze; nightclub did not have fire safety clearance; owners on the run; probe ordered

- SUDHIR SURYAWANSHI @Mumbai

A massive fire tore through a jam packed nightclub in North Goa around midnight on Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including five tourists and 20 employees of the club.

The club, 'Birch by Romeo Lane' at Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, did not have the mandatory fire department no-objection certificate. Since the club stands in the backwater of Arpora river, a narrow bridge leading to it made it tough for panic-stricken tourists to escape, fire officials said.

A preliminary inquiry found that electric firework inside the nightclub was the likely cause of the blaze, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said, adding that he had ordered chief secretary Dr V Candayelou and DGP Alok Kumar to identify and act against government officials who allowed the club to operate without fire safety clearance.