Overview
- Authorities confirmed 25 dead and six injured in stable condition after a blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora shortly after midnight.
- Goa’s chief minister said most victims were kitchen staff, with three to four tourists among the dead, and that all bodies have been recovered.
- Police and fire officials are treating a suspected gas‑cylinder explosion in the kitchen as the leading cause pending the inquiry’s findings.
- Officials and local councillors said the venue lacked a mandatory No Objection Certificate and had previously received a demolition notice.
- Narrow exits and restricted access forced fire crews to stage hundreds of meters away, delaying response, while the PMO announced compensation for victims’ families and the injured.