'Fireworks were set off': Goa nightclub survivor recalls moments before fire; what led to the blaze

NEW DELHI: The fire at a nightclub in Goa, which killed 25 people, started after fireworks were set off inside, eyewitnesses said.
Riya, a tourist from Delhi who managed to escape in time, recalled seeing firecrackers bursting around the dance floor. “The fire must have been caused due to this. There was a stampede-like situation,” she told news agency PTI.



Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant later confirmed it, saying, “According to the preliminary inquiry, the fire broke out due to the bursting of some electrical firecrackers inside the club.”


As the injured continue to be treated in the hospital and the investigation moves forward, people who were inside or nearby are sharing the horror they witnessed.

Fatima Shaikh from Hyderabad said the club was packed because it was the weekend. She remembered a sudden wave of panic.


“There was a sudden commotion as the flames started erupting. We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

Fatima said many people rushed downstairs, not knowing it led to the kitchen, where some got trapped with the staff.

"It was a temporary structure made of palm leaves, so it easily caught fire," she added.


A security guard at a nearby restaurant told reporters that the first thing he heard was a “massive explosion”. He later learnt that many people believed it began with a cylinder blast.

Another visitor from Delhi, Nikhnesh, said he reached the area just as smoke began rising. “We were planning to come and party here last night. As soon as we reached our hostel, we saw plumes of smoke rising.”


A guard named Sanjay Kumar Gupta said everything happened within minutes. "Suddenly, there was a fire. I was at the gate. A DJ and dancer were going to perform, and it was about to get really crowded,” he said.

Witnesses also told news agency IANS that people in nearby hotels saw flames rising from a distance while police tried to control the crowd.

A tourist said they saw “reddish flames”. "We had just reached our hotel when we noticed reddish flames coming out. When we went to check, the police were already there managing the situation."

One resident from the neighbourhood said they heard ambulance sirens at midnight but only learnt the scale of the tragedy the next morning.

"It happened at midnight, so not much was known at the time. I heard the sound of an ambulance. In the morning, I found out that perhaps 23 people had died," the person said.

Others spoke about how close they came to being inside. Avanish from Delhi said he and his friends escaped the tragedy simply because their taxi was late. “Actually, we got lucky, or else we would be here,” he said.


North Goa nightclub tragedy

The fire broke out shortly after midnight on Sunday at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa.

Police said the victims included four tourists and 14 staff members, with seven identities yet to be confirmed.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant confirmed most deaths were due to suffocation, arrests have been made, and an arrest warrant has been issued against the owners.

PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah expressed grief, and ex gratia compensation was announced.

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