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New Delhi: As a fire erupted at North Goa's popular night club on Romeo Lane, several lives were shattered within seconds. At least 25 people lost their lives in the massive fire that engulfed the club. Among the deceased, four members of the same family succumbed to injuries during what was meant to be their first trip to Goa. The deceased include three sisters — Anita, Kamla, and Saroj Joshi — and Vinod Kumar, the husband of another sister, Bhavna Joshi, who is the lone survivor.
The police have preserved the bodies of Anita and Kamla, with inquest proceedings and post-mortems pending. The remaining bodies were completely unidentifiable.
Kamla, the eldest daughter of the family, is survived by her husband Naveen, a businessman, and their two children. Vinod, Bhavna’s husband, is also Naveen’s brother. Both Kamla and Bhavna were married into the same family, and Vinod, like Naveen, was a businessman. A neighbour revealed that the mother of the deceased daughters is extremely ill and has not yet been informed about the deaths of her daughters. The four had left for the trip the previous week. "It was their first trip to Goa. We didn’t know this would happen," the neighbour said.
The neighbour also mentioned that they are continuously providing assistance to the affected family. He added that Vinod had joined his wife and the sisters to help them explore Goa, and the group had planned a road trip as well.
During interrogation, Singh narrated the ordeal of that tragic night. He mentioned that the family had gone to the club for a meal and were heading towards the exit when the fire broke out. One of the sisters became trapped inside. “The others, followed by Vinod, tried to save their kin. Fortunately, Bhavna was the only one able to rush outside. We kept calling their numbers as the news broke out. Everyone was panicking. Later, a policeman called Naveen. They have husbands and children. What will happen now?” Hindustan Times quoted the neighbour as saying.
A family friend also recounted his conversation with Bhavna. When the fire broke out, everyone was rushing to escape, while some people were stuck in the kitchen. "The family tried to escape but went back 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," he said.
Neeta Bisht, the area councillor, said she is trying to get in touch with the family, but everyone is too “traumatized.”
