PANAJI: A jampacked nightclub in North Goa turned into a death trap after midnight on Sunday as a massive fire tore through it, claiming 25 lives and leaving six injured while raising serious questions about `illegal’ operations and flouting of safety norms.

While the police said earlier in the day that a cylinder blast seemed to have started the blaze, a tourist who survived the tragedy claimed that fireworks were set off when dancers were performing, and it was the likely cause.

Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims, many of them employees, got trapped on the ground floor of `Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub at Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, a fire official said.

While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant vowed action against officials who allowed the club to operate despite

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