Goa nightclub fire: At least 25 people dead after major blaze erupts at Birch by Romeo Lane club in popular tourist destination
A fire at a popular nightclub in the coastal region of Goa in India has killed 25 people, according to local officials.
Most of the victims are believed to be staff at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, located near a popular beach. Tourists are also said to be among the dead.
Police believe a gas cylinder exploded in the club's kitchen, causing a blaze to rip through the venue on Saturday at midnight local time. On Sunday morning, officials said the death toll had risen from an earlier figure of 23.
Goa's chief minister Pramod Sawant told journalists three people had died from burn injuries, while others died by suffocating. He said "three to four" tourists had perished but did not provide their ages or nationalities. Six people are in a stable condition in hospital.
The venue was packed because it was hosting a Bollywood specialist DJ. The area where the fire occurred is lined with similar bustling nightspots.
Early on Sunday emergency teams were combing through the wreckage to determine the cause of the blaze. A heavy security presence remained at the scene, with the doors to the nightclub shut and no-one allowed inside.
Goa is a former Portuguese colony on the Arabian Sea. Its nightlife, sandy beaches, and resorts attract millions of tourists annually. About 5.5 million tourists visited the area in the first half of the year, government data showed, with 270,000 coming from abroad.