BENGALURU, Dec 7 — The Indian authorities ordered an investigation and offered compensation to victims today 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," said Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in an X (formerly Twitter) post, adding that 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. On X, he said that his office would offer compensation of up to ₹200,000 (RM9,137.76) to each family of the victims and ₹50,000 (RM2,284.44) to the injured.
Goa's police chief told the ANI news agency that they were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club at 12.04am (1834 GMT yesterday).
The authorities worked through the night to bring the fire under control, and all the bodies have been recovered.
Images on local and social media showed firefighters dousing flames and ambulances lining up. Reuters could not immediately verify whether the photos were from the nightclub.
The police informed ANI that at least four of the dead were tourists, and 14 were club staff. They did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Goa, a small coastal state, is a popular tourist destination, especially among foreigners, known for its 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.
