‘I have lost it all’, says Delhi woman whose husband, 3 sisters died in Goa fire

At the family’s home in Karawal Nagar, relatives and neighbours gathered in a narrow lane to support Bhavna as she tried to recount the tragic night.

Two days after a deadly fire at a Goa nightclub claimed 25 lives, 40-year-old Bhavna Joshi — the sole survivor from her family — returned to Delhi on Monday with the bodies of her three sisters and her husband for their final rites.

New Delhi: Relatives carry the body of a victim of a fire that devastated a nightclub in Goa on Sunday, at a crematorium in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. The nightclub fire in North Goa killed 25 people and left several injured. (PTI)

Of the 25 victims, 20 were staff members and five were tourists. Bhavna had travelled to Goa with her husband Vinod Kumar and her sisters — Saroj, Anita and Kamla — all of whom perished in the blaze.

At the family’s home in Karawal Nagar, relatives and neighbours gathered in the narrow lane to support Bhavna as she tried to recount the night she lost her entire family.

“We had planned a trip for the first time as sisters. My husband joined at the last minute… We left on Friday. On Saturday, we first went to Aprora. I remember clicking hundreds of photos. We then went to the club at 11pm. We were all dancing. My sister and I saw some sparks near the stage but thought it was just an electrical issue. But soon the fire grew big,” she said.

“Initially, everyone was trying to pour water. There was no fire extinguisher there. Then the fire covered the entire hall. We couldn’t see anything. There was no exit for us. I was the first to run outside. People were pushing, and someone pushed me out. I last saw Kamla and told them to come out. I thought they were behind me. I kept waiting outside.”

She said her husband managed to get out but went back in to try to save her sisters. “I kept calling for him and my sisters. I asked others. I told them what my sisters were wearing. Nobody helped. Everyone was running. Within 10–15 minutes, it was over. They never came out. Fire services came half an hour later. I have lost everything. My children have no father now. I have no sisters now… They were my life,” she said.

Vinod, who owned a finance company that provided loans for commercial vehicles, lived with Bhavna in Ghaziabad.

Kamla, the eldest sister, was married to Vinod’s brother, Naveen. “They had planned the trip last month. It was supposed to be a girls’ trip and Vinod joined later. I don’t know what to say. My wife is gone and so is my brother. I have four kids now — my own and Vinod’s. Who will take care of them? My parents are in shock,” Naveen said.

Vinod’s friends remembered him as courageous and deeply loyal. Varun, his business associate, said, “I have known Vinod since 2005. He loved Goa — he liked the beaches a lot. He had taken his wife and kids there before too. I last spoke to him on Friday. He said he would return soon and then we’d plan a party. Now I am standing next to his body. He was a brave man. He tried to save others but died. He could have escaped, but he always put others before himself.”

While Saroj was unmarried, Anita, 30, had married just last year. Naveen added, “Anita got married last year and we were all very happy for her. She had just gone to Lucknow for a vacation and had their wedding album with her. She planned to show us the photos. We were waiting. Her husband, Vivek, is in shock. Nobody thought this would happen.”