48 hours and counting: 25 innocent people killed in Goa nightclub fire. 21 were employees-young men from Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Nepal, Assam-who had come to Goa hoping to earn a livelihood. They drew modest salaries of Rs 15,000-20,000 monthly, yet for this pittance, they suffocated to death, trapped in the basement of Birch by Romeo Lane when fire broke out. This was murder, plain and simple. Today, the absconding owners finally issued a statement.