Goa nightclub tragedy: They ran to escape, but died on the stairs; decorative leaves fueled the fire.

The dance floor on the first floor of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora was packed when a fire broke out shortly after midnight on Saturday. ​​Around a hundred people had gathered to watch a belly dancing performance. A video of the incident is going viral, showing the fire raging at the back of the dance floor and glass panels shattering and falling.

Eyewitnesses said that panic ensued as the fire spread. People started running in all directions, but due to the narrow passages in the nightclub, they couldn't find a way out. In the ensuing chaos, people rushed towards the kitchen on the ground floor and got trapped on the stairs. Soon, smoke filled the entire area. Several people died due to suffocation. Rescue workers recovered some bodies from the stairwell. Initial investigations have not yet determined whether the fire started due to a cylinder explosion in the kitchen or originated on the first-floor dance floor. Eyewitnesses claim the fire started on the first floor. Special decorations, including palm leaves, had been used for the belly dancing performance. The palm leaves caused the fire to spread rapidly.

Family's breadwinners lost: Two brothers from Jharkhand who went to Goa to earn money lost their lives.

Among the employees who lost their lives in the nightclub fire were three young men from Jharkhand: Pradeep Mahto (24), Vinod Mahto (20), and Mohiti Munda (22). Munda was from Khunti district, while Pradeep and Vinod were from Fatehpur village in Lapung. The two brothers had gone to Goa to earn money to support their poor family. Their elder brother, Phagu Mahto, said that around 3 AM, a relative living in Goa called to inform him of Pradeep and Vinod's deaths.

The two brothers had gone to Goa about a year ago and were planning to return next year for Holi. They used to send about Rs. 30,000 every month to support their family. The family is extremely poor, relying solely on the meager income from a temporary sweet shop in the village and the money sent by the two brothers.

Saurabh Luthra started Romeo Lane from New Delhi.

The owner of Birch by Romeo Lane Club is Saurabh Luthra, a resident of Delhi. According to the information available on the website, Saurabh is a gold medalist engineer who started Romeo Lane in New Delhi in 2016. His brand has now expanded to 22 cities in India and four other countries. Birch by Romeo Lane Club is said to be India's first island bar. Decorated with a lakeside deck and fountains, this club is quite popular in the area.