Overview
- At least 25 people died and several were injured in the blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, with initial postmortems indicating deaths from asphyxiation.
- Goa Police arrested four senior staff members and filed FIRs against owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, with arrest warrants reported and a culpable homicide case registered against key managers.
- Chief Minister Pramod Sawant cited indoor electric fireworks as the preliminary cause, while a performer described a short circuit; investigators are pursuing forensic and magisterial inquiries.
- The state suspended three officials linked to the club’s permissions, ordered statewide safety audits of similar venues, and required updated fire certificates and audit reports within seven days.
- Authorities reported 17 postmortems completed and six bodies handed over, with three flown to Ranchi, as identity verification continues; ex gratia payments include Rs 5 lakh per deceased from the state and Rs 2 lakh from the PMO, with Rs 50,000 for the injured from both.