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Goa was left reeling on Sunday as chief minister Pramod Sawant ordered a magisterial inquiry into the catastrophic midnight blaze that tore through a popular nightclub in Arpora, turning a night of revelry into a scene of anguish and unbearable loss.

Arriving at the charred site in the early hours, Sawant surveyed the devastation first-hand and reviewed the frantic rescue efforts that continued through the night. Speaking to NDTV, he confirmed that the nightclub’s general manager had been arrested and that an arrest warrant had been issued against the establishment’s owner. Accountability, he vowed, would be pursued “at every level”, with stringent punishment for anyone found to have flouted safety norms.

The chief minister directed district authorities to accelerate assistance for grieving families and ensure seamless coordination with hospitals treating the injured. Many of the victims, he said, succumbed to suffocation after being unable to escape when the fire erupted around midnight. A full probe would determine whether the club had complied with mandatory fire safety rules.

In a sombre message on X, Sawant wrote, “I am closely reviewing the situation arising from the tragic fire incident at Arpora, in which 25 people have lost their lives and 6 have been injured… I have ordered a magisterial inquiry to identify the cause and fix responsibility.”

Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju expressed deep sorrow, calling the tragedy a moment of collective mourning for the state. He urged officials to extend every form of support to the injured and the bereaved and emphasised the importance of tightly coordinated relief efforts.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken with the chief minister for updates. “The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa is deeply saddening,” he posted on X. “My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest.”

The inferno, which ignited at Birch by Romeo Lane in the bustling Baga belt — an area synonymous with Goa’s nightlife — has sparked shockwaves across the state. Outside hospitals, anxious families and crowds gathered as officials worked to identify victims, many of them young staff members on the night shift.

Goa Police on Sunday confirmed that 25 lives had been lost — four tourists and fourteen staff members among them — while the identities of seven victims remained unverified as forensic teams combed through what was left of the ravaged site. Rescue crews and investigators continued their grim task, piecing together the sequence of events that turned a vibrant weekend night into one of the darkest tragedies in recent memory.

With IANS inputs