North Goa Bans Fireworks in Nightclubs, Hotels After 25 Die in Blaze

Days after a devastating fire at a Goa nightclub, the North Goa administration has imposed a ban on the use of fireworks inside nightclubs, hotels and other tourist establishments. The move comes in the wake of the tragic blaze at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, which killed at least 25 people.

The fire, which broke out on Saturday night, claimed the lives of 20 staff members and five tourists. According to police and Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, the blaze was triggered by electric fireworks fired from pyro guns during a dance performance. Five managers and staff members have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The club’s owners, brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, were detained after initially fleeing to Phuket, Thailand. Police said the brothers booked their flight on MakeMyTrip at 1:17 am on December 7—while firefighters were still trying to contain the blaze and rescue those trapped inside.

This development comes amid widespread disruptions and mass flight cancellations by IndiGo, the airline the brothers used to leave the country.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Sawant ordered the demolition of the Luthra brothers’ Vagator beach shack, Romeo Lane, with work beginning on Tuesday evening. He has also warned that licenses of hotels, clubs and other tourist establishments will be cancelled if they fail to comply with fire safety norms.