Tragic Goa Nightclub Fire Claims Lives of Three Delhi Sisters Among 25 Victims

Three sisters from Delhi died in the Goa club fire.

New Delhi:

A night of music and dance turned fatal in Goa after a fire at a crowded nightclub claimed 25 lives - 20 staff members and five tourists - shortly after midnight on Sunday. Four of the five tourists who perished were from the same family in Delhi, who were enjoying a long-awaited vacation in Goa.

Five members of the family visited the popular 'Birch By Romeo Lane' nightclub on Saturday to participate in their "Bollywood Banger Night." Only one person survived the devastating fire. Bhavna Joshi is in a state of shock after witnessing the flames engulf the building, killing her husband and three sisters who were trapped inside.

Joshi narrowly escaped as she was pushed out of the building by the panicked crowd when the fire erupted.

The deceased have been identified as Vinod Joshi (43), Kamla Joshi (42), Anita Joshi (41), and Saroj Joshi (39). Kamla, Anita, and Saroj were Bhavna's sisters. Kamla was married to Vinod's elder brother, Naveen Joshi.

Read | Goa Nightclub Where 25 Died Was Built Like Tinderbox. Crackers Lit The Fuse

The group had departed for Goa last Friday (December 5) and was scheduled to return to Delhi the following day. Everything seemed fine until Saturday evening, and they had even communicated with their family in Delhi. On Sunday morning, Vinod Joshi's family in the national capital received the devastating news. The family immediately left for Goa. By Sunday night, they had identified the bodies of their loved ones at a Goa hospital. After the autopsy, all the bodies were transported by air to Delhi.

Naveen Joshi, who lost his wife Kamla in the fire, resides in North East Delhi's Karawal Nagar. His younger brother, Vinod - who died in the blaze - lived in Ghaziabad's Vaishali with his wife, Bhavna. Her other two sisters, Anita and Saroj - who also perished - lived in North West Delhi's Rohini.

Bhavna recounted that more than a hundred people were dancing in the nightclub when there was a sudden loud explosion and flames erupted. She stated that she was pushed out of the club by the fleeing crowd.

While authorities indicated that a cylinder explosion appeared to have initiated the fire, a tourist who survived the tragedy claimed that fireworks were set off during a dance performance, which was likely the cause.

Most fatalities resulted from suffocation, as victims, many of them employees, became trapped on the ground floor of the nightclub in Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, according to a fire official.

Saurabh Luthra, one of the nightclub owners in North Goa, expressed "profound grief" and promised to provide assistance, support, and cooperation to the victims' families in "every possible form" through a social media post.

The statement was made as police teams were dispatched from Goa to Delhi to apprehend the club's management.