The state government released the complete list of the deceased after families and relatives completed the identification process.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday at ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’, a nightclub in Arpora, turning a crowded night event into one of the deadliest fire incidents in Goa in recent years.
Of the five tourists who lost their lives, four were from Delhi, including three members of the same family—Saroj Joshi, Anita Joshi and Kamla Joshi—along with Vinod Kumar. They were identified by a relative, Bhavna Joshi. The fifth tourist was Ishaq from Karnataka, identified by his father, M D Hussain, officials said.
The remaining 20 victims were staff members working the night shift at the club. They came from multiple states and neighbouring Nepal, reflecting the largely migrant workforce employed at the venue.
Five staff members were from Uttarakhand, four from Nepal, three each from Jharkhand and Assam, two from Maharashtra, two from Uttar Pradesh, and one from West Bengal.
The state government announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured, even as grieving families—many of them migrant workers—began the painful process of taking their loved ones home.
The largest group among the victims were from Uttarakhand—Jitendra Singh, Satish Singh, Surendra Singh, Sumit Negi and Manish Singh. The four Nepalese nationals were identified as Churna Bahadur Pun, Vivek Katwal, Sabin and Sudeep. Victims from Jharkhand included Mohit, Pradeep Mahto and Binod Mahto, while those from Assam were Manojit Mal, Rahul Tanti and Digambar Patir.
Arrests, probe & government action
Police said the fire erupted shortly after midnight when the club was packed with around 100 people.
Most of those who died were reportedly trapped in the basement kitchen and storage areas, unable to find an exit as thick smoke spread rapidly. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said only two victims died due to burns, while the remaining 23 suffocated from smoke inhalation.
By Sunday evening, four members of the club’s management—chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajveer Singhania, and gate manager Priyanshu Thakur—were arrested.
An FIR has also been filed against the club’s owners, Saurav and Gaurav Luthra, with arrest warrants issued on charges including culpable homicide and operating without mandatory safety clearances.
In addition, three senior government officials, including the then director of panchayats, were suspended for their alleged role in permitting the club to begin operations in 2023. Authorities also sealed another establishment linked to the same promoters, Romeo Lane in Vagator, as part of a wider crackdown.
Preliminary findings suggest that “electrical firecrackers” used during a live performance triggered the blaze. The government has set up a magisterial fact-finding committee, expected to submit its report within a week, and a second panel led by the revenue secretary to audit high-footfall clubs and draft a standard operating procedure to prevent similar incidents.
(With PTI inputs)
