Family members carry the mortal remains of their beloved outside the GMC on Monday.
PANAJI
A pall of grief and disbelief hung heavy outside the Goa Medical College (GMC) mortuary on Monday as families received the bodies of 19 victims of the catastrophic Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire. The inferno, which killed 25 people, has devastated families—many of whom had sent their young sons to Goa in search of stable incomes and a better life.
From early morning, a row of ambulances waited outside the mortuary, while relatives—some arriving after exhausting overnight travel from distant States—stood silently with paperwork in hand, preparing themselves for the painful task of identification. For several victims who had no immediate family in Goa, it was friends and co-workers who stepped forward, forming a support system in their final journey home.
Hospital authorities confirmed that the remains of many victims were flown or transported to their native States, including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Jharkhand.
Among the first to be taken home were two brothers from Jharkhand—Pradeep Mahto and Binod Mahto, migrant workers from Fatehpur village in Lapung, Ranchi district. As per media reports, the siblings had moved to Goa about a year ago and were known to regularly send up to Rs 30,000 each month to their family. Their relatives said the two were eagerly planning a visit home in February. Instead, their bodies returned in coffins.
By Monday morning, their last rites were performed at the banks of the Karo river, surrounded by grieving villagers.
The body of another Jharkhand youth, Mohit Munda from Govindpur in Khunti district, reached his native village later in the evening for the final rituals. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Labour Department provided Rs 50,000 each to the bereaved families as immediate financial support.
GMC officials stated that post-mortem procedures for six victims remain pending as authorities await the arrival and consent of their families. The victims yet to be claimed include Rohan Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Manoj Jora (Maharashtra), and four Nepalese nationals—Churna Bahadur Purn, Vivek Katwal, Sudeep, and Sabin.
As per news agencies, in Assam, tragedy compounded economic hardship. Families of two victims—24-year-old Manojit Mal and 60-year-old Rahul Tanti—said the men had been compelled to leave their homes due to a growing lack of employment opportunities in the tea gardens of Barak Valley. Belonging to the tea tribe community, both had joined the long list of young workers migrating out of the region in search of work.
Back in Goa, friends gathered at the morgue spoke tearfully of the victims’ final days—shared meals after late-night shifts, lighthearted plans for Holi celebrations, and promises of trips home that will now remain unfulfilled.
The blaze also claimed the lives of four tourists from Delhi—a brother-in-law and three sisters. Vinod Kumar and his sisters-in-law Saroj Joshi, Anita Joshi and Kamla Joshi succumbed to suffocation inside the nightclub. Vinod’s wife, Bhavan, was the lone survivor among their group.
To ease the process for grieving families, the State government has deployed a special team under the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to coordinate transportation and documentation for all victims.
