Tourists were among the dead in the blaze, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in the north of the coastal state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement that the deaths were “deeply saddening”.
Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere.
“Today is a very painful day for all of us,” Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, adding that “25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured.” Sawant told journalists that “three to four” tourists had died, without giving their nationalities.
“I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility,” Sawant added.
Video images from the Press Trust of India news agency showed rescuers carrying the injured or dead on stretchers down the narrow stone staircase of the Birch nightclub.
“Most people died due to suffocation in the basement and kitchen area,” Nitin V. Raiker, Goa’s fire chief, told Indian broadcaster CNN News18
I received information that there was a club party going on, and a fire show was organised in the club. The wooden parts of the club caught fire, and smoke spread throughout the building.”
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations.
In May, at least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a three-storey building in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
A month before that, a fierce blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing at least 15 people. Some people clambered out of windows and onto the rooftop to escape.
And last year, at least 24 people died after a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in the western state of Gujarat.
Goa nightclub fire: FIR registered against owners, event organisers; sarpanch detained
CM orders magisterial inquiry; deceased include four tourists and 14 staff members, while identity of remaining seven yet to be established-imgfeatured-img
Officials inspect the charred remains of the nightclub after a fire broke out due to a cylinder blast, in North Goa district, Sunday, December 7, 2025. PTI
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Police registered an FIR against two owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, its manager, and event organisers after a devastating fire claimed 25 lives and detained the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, a senior official said on Sunday.
The fire broke out at the nightclub after midnight. The popular party venue in Arpora village, located approximately 25 km from the state capital, Panaji, opened last year.
The deceased included four tourists and 14 staff members, while the identity of the remaining seven was yet to be established, the police said.
“Police registered an FIR against Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of Birch by Romeo Lane Nightclub, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita,” a senior police officer told PTI.
An FIR was also registered against the manager of the club and the event organisers, he said.
Police detained the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, Roshan Redkar, who had issued a trade license for the premises in 2013.Redkar said the club was run by Saurav Luthra, who had a dispute with his partner.
“There was a dispute between them, and they had filed a complaint against each other with the panchayat. We had inspected the premises and found that they did not have the permission to construct the club,” he said.
The panchayat had issued a demolition notice, which was stayed by officials of the Directorate of Panchayats, Redkar claimed.The Chief Minister stated that he was closely reviewing the situation arising from the tragic fire incident.
“All six injured persons are in a stable condition and are receiving the best medical care. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility,” he said.
A preliminary inquiry has indicated that the fire started on the first floor of the club, and due to congestion and small doors, the customers could not move out, the CM said.
“Some of them rushed to the ground floor and got trapped there,” he said.