Fire at a nightclub in India's Goa state kills at least 25, official says

At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

NEW DELHI — At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora in North Goa, a party hub.

Goa’s chief minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists.

The fire occurred due to a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. All the bodies have been recovered. It said at least 100 people were on the club's dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora river backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the fire brigades to park their tankers about 400 meters away, the news agency said. The restricted access delayed firefighting efforts, it reported, citing local officials.