Goa nightclub fire: How Delhi family’s dream trip ended in tragedy

LEss than a hebdomad agone, Vinod Kumar, his married woman, and her leash sisters walked come out of their Karawal Nagar home with packed suitcases, waving goodbye to his mother as they set off for a long-planned holiday to Goa. It was meant to be a rare getaway for the five of them, a short pause from daily responsibilities.On Monday, Vinod’s mother sat at the same doorway, waiting for their return, unaware that four of them had died in a devastating nightclub fire.ALSO READ | 'Deeply shaken': Goa nightclub owner Saurabh Luthra breaks silence on fire that killed 25A massive blaze ripped through a popular nightclub in Arpora, Goa, in the early hours of Sunday, killing 25 people. Among them were four members of the Delhi group. The only survivor from their family, 38-year-old Bhavna Joshi, is recovering from injuries, police confirmed, as per a report by news agency PTI.Those who died have been identified as Vinod Kumar (43), his sisters-in-law Anita (41) and Saroj (39), and Kamla (42), who was married to Vinod’s elder brother. Bhavna, Vinod’s wife and the fourth sister, was the sole one to make it out alive.ALSO READ | ‘It was their first Goa trip’: 4 of Delhi family die in nightclub fireRelatives said the four sisters had spent months planning this break, their first in years, now that their children were old enough to manage without them for a few days. Vinod decided to join them so they would feel safer while travelling, said the report.Neighbourhood residents recalled the group leaving with excitement, expecting nothing more than a peaceful holiday.Mahipal Singh Bhandari, who has lived next door to the family for decades, said the tragedy felt unreal.Another neighbour, Harish, said the incident highlighted systemic failures. He pointed to recent accidents, including the Rajendra Nagar coaching centre fire, to highlight what he called a pattern of ignored safety norms.ALSO READ | Last rites of 3 Jharkhand migrant workers killed in Goa nightclub fire heldHe also alleged that the Arpora club had been ordered to shut down earlier but continued to operate despite repeated warnings. “Strict action is needed, and those responsible must not be spared. Families have lost their sons, husbands, children, brothers, sisters, wives and daughters, and this is not something you can ignore. Five of them set out for a Goa vacation, four of them got lost forever,” he said.Back in Karawal Nagar, the family is trying to absorb the shock while keeping the harsh reality from those too young, or too fragile, to process it.Vinod and Bhavna’s two children, aged 11 and six, are being kept away from the crowd of visitors filling the home. Relatives say Kamla’s teenage children, 18 and 14, have barely spoken since the news arrived; they had been waiting to hear from their mother and were expecting small souvenirs from her trip.In another room of the house, Vinod’s elderly mother sits confused, repeatedly asking whether the “injured” have been shifted to a better hospital.“She believes they will be brought home any moment,” a local resident told the publication, adding, “No one knows how she will react when she learns the truth.”(With inputs from PTI)