Officials inspect the charred remains of the nightclub after a fire broke out in a nightclub North Goa's Arpora | PTIA jampacked nightclub in North Goa turned into a death trap after midnight on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday as a massive fire tore through it, claiming 25 lives and leaving six injured while raising serious questions about `illegal' operations and flouting of safety norms.
While the police said earlier in the day that a cylinder blast seemed to have started the blaze, a tourist who survived the tragedy claimed that fireworks were set off when dancers were performing, and it was the likely cause.
The police confirmed that among the 25 dead, 14 bodies have been identified, which included 4 tourists from New Delhi, and 10 members of staff originally from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The six others, who were injured in the tragedy, have been hospitalised and are said to be stable.
Addressing the media on Sunday, Sawant said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the tragedy. "A probe committee comprising the South Goa collector, the deputy director of fire and emergency services and the director of forensic laboratory has been formed. The panel will submit its report within a week," the chief minister said. He added that the committee will probe procedural lapses that resulted in the mishap.
