Nightclub fire kills at least 25 in India's Goa state

At least 25 people have been killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India's Goa state, the state's chief minister said on Sunday.

Police were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club in Goa at 12:04am (local time), Goa's police chief told the ANI news agency.

Goa's chief minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club's kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists.

Six were injured and were in stable condition, he said.

The entrance sign to the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub. The Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub had previously been issued a demolition notice as it had no construction permit from the government. (Reuters: Ali Monis Naqvi)

The fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police.

All the bodies have been recovered.

It said at least 100 people were on the club's dance floor when the fire broke out.

The burned remains of a nightclub above a river. The Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub is located along the Arpora river backwaters. (Reuters: Ali Monis Naqvi)

In the chaos, several people rushed to the kitchen below and got trapped along with staff.

The nightclub had a narrow entry and exit that forced the fire brigades to park their tankers about 400 metres away, the news agency said.

The restricted access delayed firefighting efforts, it reported, citing local officials.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club as it had no construction permit from the government, but higher officials rolled back the order.

The inside of a nightclub in Goa after a fire, showing its charred interior. At least 100 people were on the nightclub's dance floor when the fire broke out on Sunday. (AP)

The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident to determine the exact cause of the fire and whether fire safety norms and building regulations were followed, Mr Sawant said.

"This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance," Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India's main opposition Congress party, wrote on X.

He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don't occur again."

Regulations are poorly enforced in India, where some public sector officials cut corners, leading to safety hazards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the incident deeply saddening and said he spoke with Mr Sawant about the situation.

He said the state government "is providing all possible assistance to those affected" while offering condolences to the victims' families.

Accidents involving gas cylinders are not uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.