Silence and shock grip Jharkhand villages as 2 brothers among 3 workers dead in Goa nightclub fire

Lapung (Ranchi), Dec 7 (PTI) As the mobile phone rang around 2 am on Sunday, the traditional ‘halwai’ family of Lapung, about 60 km from Ranchi, grew apprehensive, fearing bad news.

Their worst fears came true when Phagu Mahto (32) received a call from a village acquaintance, Nishan Kumar, who was in Goa in search of work.

Kumar informed Phagu that both his younger brothers, Pradeep (24) and Vinod Mahto (20), had died in a massive fire at a nightclub in North Goa that killed 25 people and left six others injured.

While Pradeep and Vinod hailed from Fatehpur village in Lapung, another youngster, Mohit Munda (22) from Govindpur village in Khunti district's Karra block, also died in the blaze, their families told PTI.

"I lost both my brothers – Pradeep and Vinod. We came to know about it when we received the call from Nishan Kumar. My father, Dhaneshwar Mahto, is in a state of shock and has been staring blank ever since," Phagu told PTI.

The brothers, who had migrated to Goa 10-12 months ago, used to send around Rs 30,000 per month to support the family. "Both were unmarried. They were scheduled to celebrate Holi with us next year," he said.

At least 25 people including four tourists and 14 staff members were killed and six others suffered injuries in a massive fire that erupted at a nightclub in North Goa after midnight on Sunday.

So far none of the officials or any representatives from the state government have contacted the family, Phagu claimed.

His wife Sulanti said the family is very poor and they depended on their meagre income from a makeshift sweets shop in the village and money sent by the brothers.

In Govindpur, the family of Mohit Munda received a similar call informing them of his death. Relatives said his father, Etwa Manda, was in shock.

Mohit's brother Sunil told PTI, "I received a phone call around 2 am and all hell broke loose...We got the devastating news of my brother's death from an acquaintance who worked in a nearby hotel." An official at the state migrant control room in Ranchi said they are in touch with the employers who had arranged ambulances in Goa for the postmortem examinations of the bodies.

Villagers said dozens of youths from Lapung and surrounding areas had migrated to Goa, including Ajay Mahto, Pradeep Mahto, Paramdeep Mahto, Sanjay Mahto, Vinod Sahu, Manoj Sahu, Lakshman Sahu, Nishant Sahu, and Jugnu Munda.

"We are anxious about their fate and urge the Jharkhand government to ensure their livelihood here," a villager told PTI.

Meena Devi of Govindpur gram panchayat told PTI, "Mohit's parents are old...We have approached the local legislator and local leaders to bring back the body." State Migrant Control Room team lead Shikha Lakra told PTI, "We are in constant touch with the families of the victims. Our officials in Goa are in touch with the migrant workers and employers who have arranged ambulances for bodies to be taken to the hospital. Post mortem examinations are being conducted. We will arrange for bringing back the bodies to the villages." Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his legislator wife Kalpana Soren have condoled the loss of lives in the fire accident terming it as "extremely heartbreaking and tragic".

The chief minister extended prayers for the swift recovery of those injured in the incident.

At least 25 people were killed, and six others suffered injuries in the blaze that broke out after midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa's Arpora village, situated around 25 km from the capital, Panaji.

"The news of several people dying in a massive fire at a nightclub in Goa is extremely heartbreaking. May Marang Buru (the supreme tribal deity) grant peace to the souls of the departed and give strength to the grieving families to endure this hour of sorrow," Soren posted on X.

Soren's wife and JMM legislator Kalpana said: "The fire incident in Goa nightclub is extremely tragic. Hearing the news of several people losing their lives in this accident has left me deeply distressed." Meanwhile Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari has demanded a high-level probe into the incident saying that the incident poses several questions on nightclubs safety and security arrangements.

Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure proper compensation to the families of the victims, he demanded stern action against the culprits. PTI NAM MNB