Panaji: At least 25 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night, police said.
The deceased included four tourists and 14 staff members, while the identity of the remaining seven was yet to be established, he said.
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Six persons suffered injuries in the blaze and they are currently undergoing treatment at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, near here, the official said.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, he said.
“The police and fire department are conducting the investigation and legal action is being taken,” the official said.
As per initial information, the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.
The nightclub, a popular party venue at Arpora village, located around 25 km from the state capital Panaji, opened last year.
“We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms,” Sawant said.
“This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season in the coastal state,” Sawant said. “We will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and stringent action will be taken against the guilty,” he added.
Goa police chief Alok Kumar told PTI that the fire occurred due to a cylinder blast.
“All the bodies have been recovered from the premises and sent to the government medical college at Bambolim,” local BJP MLA Michael Lobo said.
Firefighters and police teams rushed to the spot immediately and were engaged in rescue efforts through the night, Lobo told reporters.
Lobo said officials will conduct the fire safety audit of all the clubs to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
The Calangute panchayat will be issuing notices to all the nightclubs on Monday asking them to provide fire safety permissions, the MLA said. The licenses of clubs not having necessary permissions will be cancelled, he added.
PNN & Agencies
