India's Goa state orders probe after nightclub fire kills 25

BENGALURU, India: Indian authorities ordered an investigation and offered compensation to victims on Sunday after a fire ripped through a nightclub in the western state of Goa, killing 25.

“I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility” for the fire in the village of Arpora, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant posted on X, saying six injured people were in stable condition and receiving medical care.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to Sawant and offered condolences to the bereaved families. Modi posted on X that his office would offer compensation of up to 200,000 rupees ($2,200) to each family of the victims and 50,000 rupees to the injured.

Police were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club at 12:04 a.m. (1834 GMT on Saturday), Goa’s police chief told the ANI news agency.

The authorities worked through the night to bring the fire under control, and all the bodies have been recovered, ANI reported.

Images on local and social media showed firefighters dousing flames and ambulances lining up. Reuters could not immediately verify whether the images were from the nightclub.

At least four of the dead were tourists and 14 were club staff, police told ANI, in which Reuters holds a minority stake. Police did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Goa, a small coastal state, is a popular tourist destination especially among foreigners, offering beaches and hilly landscapes.

About 5.5 million tourists, including 271,000 from abroad, visited Goa in the first half of the year, according to government data.