Goa Nightclub Inferno Claims Multiple Lives; Narrow Access, Illegal Construction Under Scanner.
Goa:
A massive fire ripped through a waterfront nightclub in Goa’s Arpora area late Saturday night, killing several people and leaving many trapped inside the structure. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as flames erupted suddenly during peak weekend hours, when the club was packed with visitors.
“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,” said a woman who escaped the blaze. Another witness, Shaikh, said the temporary structure made of palm leaves caught fire instantly, allowing the flames to spread rapidly.
The nightclub, located in the backwaters of the Arpora river, had a narrow entry and exit route. Fire and Emergency Services officials said fire brigade vehicles could not reach the venue due to constricted access roads, forcing them to park nearly 400 metres away. “The narrow access made controlling the blaze extremely difficult,” a senior officer said. Most victims died due to suffocation after being trapped on the ground floor, he added.
Authorities are probing alleged violations by the club’s management. Arpora-Nagoa sarpanch Roshan Redkar revealed that the establishment, run by owner Saurabh Luthra, lacked permission for construction. The panchayat had issued a demolition notice, but it was stayed by the Directorate of Panchayats following a dispute between business partners.
Outside the Goa Medical College morgue, grief-stricken relatives—some from Jharkhand and Assam—waited for information. Several said they would not accept the bodies unless the nightclub owner arranged transportation back to their native villages. Police said identification and postmortems may take a full day.
The tragedy triggered political outrage. The Goa Church expressed deep sorrow, while Opposition leaders accused the BJP government of governance failure. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi called it “a criminal failure of safety and governance.” The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress demanded Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s resignation, alleging the club operated without mandatory safety clearances, including a fire department NOC.
