A Delhi family was left devastated on Sunday after a fire at one of the most popular nightclubs in Goa claimed the lives of four of its members. The fire incident happened early in the morning at Birch by Romeo Lane. At least 25 people were killed by the blaze, of whom 20 were staff members.
As per a report by the Hindustan Times, among the dead were there were three sisters, Anita, Kamla, and Saroj Joshi, and another sister's husband, Vinod Kumar; Bhavna Joshi survived. Identification of Anita and Kamla was confirmed, and post-mortem and inquest proceedings were carried out. The other two bodies were burnt beyond recognition to such an extent that identification was extremely difficult.
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Tragic first trip to Goa
According to the report by the Hindustan Times, family friends said the sisters and Vinod had left Delhi last week, excited about their first trip to Goa. Kamla, the elder of the two sisters, leaves behind her husband Naveen and their two children. Vinod and Bhavna, married into the same family, also have two children.
Family friend Harish Singh said that the family's elderly mother in Karawal Nagar has not been told about the deaths because she is too frail. He said, “I think they left home last week. They were all very excited for the trip. It was their first trip to Goa. We didn’t know this would happen.” “Their mother’s health is not well right now. So, nobody has told her anything. We all know she will not be able to hear all this. Only Naveen knows. Nobody is allowed to visit Aunty (mother). We are all helping the family. Vinod had joined his wife and the sisters to help them explore Goa. They wanted to go for a road trip as well”, he further added.
Rush to rescue turns fatal
As per the report, Singh said that the family had gone to the nightclub for a meal on the fateful night of the fire. One sister got trapped inside when the fire broke out. The sisters rushed inside, followed by Vinod, to save their kin. Sadly, they all died. Bhavna was only one who was able to rush outside. We kept calling their numbers as the news broke out. Everyone was panicking. It was later that a policeman called Naveen. They have husbands and children. What will happen now?” he said.
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Singh also said, “We spoke to Bhavna, and she said there was a lot of chaos at the time of the fire. Everyone was running around, and some people were stuck in the kitchen. The family tried to escape but again went inside to save Bhavna and others, but couldn’t come out as everyone was pushing each other, and there were no proper exits. There was a lot of smoke, and Bhavna somehow managed to get out after someone pushed her”
Local councillor Neeta Bisht said the authorities were trying to reach the family, but everyone remains deeply “traumatised.”
