Goa Police has stated that out of the 25 people who died in the nightclub fire, 5 were tourists and 21 were employees, including four Nepalese citizens.
Twenty-five people have died in a massive fire at a nightclub in India's popular tourist destination Goa, state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed on Sunday.
Among them are 5 tourists and 21 employees. Goa police said that four of the employees are Nepali citizens. Although their names have been released, the Goa police said that they have not revealed which part of Nepal they are from.
The fire broke out in Arpora, a northern region of the coastal state, around midnight on Saturday. Goa's fire chief Nitin V. Raikar, speaking to Indian broadcaster CNN News 18, said that most of the deaths occurred due to respiratory failure due to smoke spreading to the basement and kitchen areas. According to him, the wooden structure caught fire at the club during a party and a 'fire show' was being organized, and the entire building was covered in smoke. Goa, located on the Arabian Sea, is one of India's most popular tourist destinations. About 5.5 million tourists have visited Goa in the first six months of this year. Of these, 2.7 million tourists are foreigners.
Earlier in May, at least 17 people died in a fire that engulfed a three-story building in Hyderabad. A month earlier, at least 15 people died in a massive fire at a hotel in Kolkata.
Last year, at least 24 people died in a fire at a crowded amusement park-arcade in the western state of Gujarat.
