At least 23 killed after massive fire breaks out at North Goa nightclub

At least 23 people were killed in
Goa after a gas cylinder exploded at a popular nightclub, triggering a massive fire at the site. The fire broke out at midnight on Sunday in the village of Arpora in North Goa district, PTI reported.

Goa Chief Minister
Pramod Sawant confirmed the news and mentioned that several tourists and many kitchen workers were killed in the blaze. “Today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa. A major fire incident at Arpora has taken the lives of 23 people,” Sawant wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa. A major fire incident at Arpora has taken the lives of 23 people.

I am deeply grieved and offer my heartfelt condolences to all the bereaved families in this hour of unimaginable loss.

I visited the incident site and have…

— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) December 6, 2025

“I visited the incident site and have ordered an inquiry into this incident,” he said. “Those found responsible will face the most stringent action under the law – any negligence will be dealt with firmly.” Images and videos circulating online showed rescue personnel rushing to the site with emergency vehicles.

While speaking to the reporters at the scene, Sawant said that “three to four” tourists had died in the fire. “Three people died from burn injuries, while the others died from suffocation, he said. At least three of the victims were women,” he added.

The authorities noted that the massive fire erupted due to a cylinder blast at Birch, near Romeo Lane, a popular party venue that began operations last year.

The nightclub did not abide by fire safety norms

While speaking to the reporters, Sawant maintained that the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms. Meanwhile, Goa police chief Alok Kumar confirmed to PTI that the fire occurred due to a cylinder blast and was soon brought under control.

“All the 23 bodies have been recovered from the premises and sent to the government medical college at Bambolim,” local BJP MLA Michael Lobo said in a separate statement on the matter.

Labo noted that the officials will now conduct a fire safety audit of all the clubs to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Apart from this, the Calangute panchayat will be issuing notices to all the nightclubs on Monday asking them to provide fire safety permissions, the MLA said.

“The licenses of clubs not having the necessary permissions will be cancelled, he added.

This is a developing story.