Police say the owners of a Goa nightclub fled to Thailand after a fire killed 25 people, with most victims being staff who suffocated in the basement.
GOA: The owners of a nightclub in India’s tourist hotspot of Goa fled the country hours after a deadly fire killed 25 people, police said.
Most victims of the weekend blaze at the club in Arpora were staff members, including four Nepali citizens.
Officials said the fire was likely triggered by “electrical firecrackers”. Most people died from suffocation in the basement and kitchen after wooden parts of the club caught fire.
Goa police said the club’s owners, brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, boarded a flight to Phuket, Thailand “immediately after the incident”.
Police officers raided the brothers’ home in New Delhi but discovered they had already left the country. “It shows their intent to avoid police investigation,” police stated.
Authorities have now appealed to Interpol for help to locate the brothers.
In a social media post, Saurabh Luthra expressed “profound grief” and promised assistance to the victims’ families without revealing his whereabouts.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said four people had been arrested and ordered checks on other nightclubs.
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and lax safety regulations.
