NEW DELHI
\nAt least 25 people were killed in a fire overnight at a club in a popular resort region of Goa, officials said on Sunday, in what was the southwestern Indian state\u2019s deadliest such incident on record.
\nThe blaze broke out after midnight at the club in Arpora in North Goa.
\nThe death toll was confirmed on social media by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who said that most of the victims died of suffocation, while another six people were admitted to hospital.
\nSawant announced an official investigation, the arrest of the club\u2019s general manager and an arrest warrant for the owner.
\n\u201cIt is the first time that such an incident has occurred in Goa\u2019s history,\u201d he told the NDTV news channel.
\nCleophas Fernandese, eyewitness and former deputy village head of Arpora, told Arab News that most of the casualties were trapped in the club\u2019s underground kitchen.
\n\u201cThe fire broke out on the first floor, and the kitchen was in the basement. When the fire started, the people in the basement did not realize what was happening,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe people who were underground could not come out and they got suffocated.\u201d
\nGoa, a small coastal state, is one of India\u2019s most famous tourist destinations. Its northern part is particularly popular for its nightlife and party culture.
\nIn Arpora, a village of 700 people, the Birch by Romeo Lane club is one of the poshest establishments. Its island-like venue is located along the Arpora River backwaters, with a narrow entry and exit, which local media said delayed firefighters as they rushed to the site.
\nIt is also an establishment where operations had previously raised concerns over safety, legality and disturbance to the local community, according to Raju Nayak, editor of Gomantak Media, a local news publisher and TV broadcaster.
\n\u201cMost of the places where nightclubs run are illegal and they are operating illegally. The government was not paying proper attention to security,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe are still gathering the full report, but the primary report says that this is because of negligence and no proper care has been taken, and security arrangements there were faulty.\u201d
\nSteffi Fernandes, a member of Arpora village council, was at the site when rescue operations were underway.
\nShe said the community was in shock at the incident.
\n\u201cWe are speechless … This is the first time we have this kind of fire happen in a nightclub,\u201d Fernandes said.
\n\u201cThese clubs are operating illegally, and I don\u2019t know how they get permission. I don\u2019t know thanks to whose pressure they were operating. I feel such clubs should be completely shut down.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI At least 25 people were killed in a fire overnight at a club in a popular resort region of Goa, officials said on Sunday, in what was the southwestern Indian state\u2019s deadliest such incident on record. The blaze broke out after midnight at the club in Arpora in North Goa. The death toll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n