Panaji, December 7, 2025 – Among the 25 people who lost their lives in the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire in Arpora, North Goa, 14 were kitchen staff working in the basement of the club, which had no alternate escape routes, sources familiar with the matter said. The victims included four from Nepal, three from Jharkhand, six from Uttarakhand, and one from Assam. Four others were tourists, while the identities of the remaining seven victims are yet to be confirmed.

Friends and colleagues of the deceased are calling for urgent government support—not only for compensation but also to ensure that the bodies are returned to their families promptly.

Trapped in the Basement

The main kitchen of the nightclub, where most of the staff worked, was located in the basement and lacked emergency exits. Survivors and colleagues have emphasized that this structural flaw contributed to the high death toll among kitchen employees.

Nandlal, a security guard from a neighbouring village in Assagaon, highlighted the tragedy in his hometown in Jharkhand’s Fatehpur district. “Three people from my village were working in the kitchen. Binod Mahato and Pradeep Mahato were brothers. Mohit Munda, from another part of the same village, was also killed,” he said.

From Nepal, Janak Pujara, who works at another establishment in Goa, mourned the loss of his countryman Bibek Chhetri. Pujara criticized the nightclub management, saying, “The owners and top-level staff fled during the fire. Why weren’t the kitchen staff warned? They could have been saved. There should have been at least one fire exit for the basement kitchen.”

He added that the deceased had been stacked in the mortuary due to a lack of facilities and that families of victims were still being notified. “We are trying to inform families ourselves. Not all next of kin have been reached yet,” Pujara said.

Lives Lost Soon After Joining

Several victims were newly employed at the nightclub, having joined just days or weeks before the tragedy. Shubham Patil, a staff member from Parbhani, Maharashtra, narrowly escaped the disaster because he was on leave at the time. “I consider myself lucky,” he said.

Government Response and Assistance

The North Goa District Collector, Ankit Yadav, assured families that the government would facilitate compensation and repatriation of the bodies. He said support would be provided from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF), and other relevant authorities.

“Our team, along with police and health department officials, is working to fast-track the process. We are committed to ensuring that families receive the bodies of their loved ones safely and promptly, as well as all entitled compensation,” Yadav said.

Demands for Accountability

Friends and colleagues of the victims have also demanded that the nightclub owner take responsibility. Pujara added, “The owner has not reached out. He runs multiple establishments, but we have heard nothing. Action must be taken against him, and he should compensate the families, not just the government.”

The tragedy has renewed calls for stricter safety measures in nightclubs and commercial establishments, including proper emergency exits, fire safety equipment, and rapid evacuation protocols.

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