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‘Saved because cab got late’: Delhi tourists have a narrow escape from Goa nightclub fire
Another tourist, also from Delhi, Nikhnesh, said he had “narrowly avoided” being inside the club minutes before the fire.
As investigators probe the Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people, a Delhi tourist recalled how a delayed cab ride saved him from being inside the club when the blaze erupted.
The massive fire, suspected so far to have been triggered by a series of LPG cylinder explosions, swept through Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora, around midnight on Saturday. Goa Police said four of the victims were tourists and 14 were staff members, while seven others were either other locals or their details were not confirmed.
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Delhi tourist Avanish, who had planned to visit the ill-fated nightclub, said, “We got lucky because our cab driver was late or else we would be here.”
“When we reached here, we saw smoke and were confused at first — we thought it was pollution because we’re used to seeing smoke everywhere. But it didn’t feel normal. Later, we got to know there was a massive fire,” Avanish added, speaking to news agency ANI.
Another tourist, also from Delhi, Nikhnesh, said he too “narrowly avoided” being inside the club minutes before the fire. He said they had planned to attend the DJ night at the venue but turned back after learning “that a big fire broke out here", adding that the cab delay meant they never reached the spot, ANI reported.
His flight had landed at 10.30 pm, and he reached his hostel around midnight, where he immediately noticed “plumes of smoke rising".
Witnesses recall devastating North Goa fire
A local resident recalled hearing an explosion while heading home. “Later, we saw ambulances arriving… when we reached the location, we saw that the incident had already occurred,” he said.
Among those killed were two young men from Jharkhand who worked in the club’s kitchen, reported ANI.
“Those were my nephews, sons of my elder brother… both of them died,” said their relative Narayan Mathur. “A neighbour also died in the fire. All of us belonged to Jharkhand.”
CM flags illegalities
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, who visited the site after the mishap, said the nightclub had been running without several mandatory permissions.
Preliminary findings indicated that “the fire started on the ground floor of the nightclub, leaving those in the basement trapped and unable to escape and led to their death by suffocation,” he said.
Calling it a “very painful day for all of us in Goa,” the CM offered condolences: “A major fire incident at Arpora has taken the lives of 23 people. I am deeply grieved and offer my heartfelt condolences to all the bereaved families.”
Initial reports put the toll at 23, but authorities later confirmed it had risen to 25.
Notably, Birch by Romeo Lane had been issued demolition notices by both the village panchayat and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, as it stood on reclaimed saltpan land, as reported by HT earlier. However, the Directorate of Panchayats stayed the order after an appeal.
