Kazakh Dancer Recounts Miraculous Escape from Deadly Goa Fire
A Kazakh artist’s narrow escape from a deadly nightclub fire in the Indian state of Goa has become one of the most widely discussed accounts of the tragedy. The dancer credits her survival to a warning from a colleague, whom she later called her “Indian god.”
Footage of Kristina, a professional belly dancer from Kazakhstan, performing on stage at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub circulated rapidly on social media. The video shows her finishing her routine, unaware that a fire had already begun backstage. Moments later, flames erupted in the dressing room she was about to enter.
It was Kristina’s second performance of the evening. The fire ultimately claimed 26 lives and injured many more. According to local authorities, most victims died from suffocation after becoming trapped on the first floor and in the kitchen.
Speaking to India Today, Kristina said she is still shaken by the experience. She recalled that during her performance, the music suddenly stopped due to a power failure caused by a short circuit.
“The fire started during my performance. I was in shock. The music suddenly stopped, and I didn’t understand what had happened. I started looking for a way out. I just cried, my hand is still shaking,” she said.
Just moments before she entered the dressing room, where the fire was rapidly spreading, a shout from a crew member altered her course.
“My first impulse was to go to the dressing room. But one of the crew members said, ‘Don’t go there.’ The fire was already there. That saved my life,” Kristina recounted.
Shaken and grateful, she later referred to the man who warned her as an “Indian god.” It wasn’t until she returned home and embraced her daughter that the full weight of what she had narrowly escaped hit her.
“When I got home and hugged my daughter, I was grateful to be alive,” she told reporters.
Kristina’s testimony has become one of the most widely quoted among survivors and has helped draw attention to the causes of the fire.
The blaze occurred at a popular nightclub in northern Goa. According to preliminary investigations, the fire was triggered by electric firecrackers used during a show. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed the venue had violated fire safety regulations.
Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident, including the nightclub’s general manager, Rajiv Modak; manager Vivek Singh; bar manager Rajiv Singhania; and entrance staffer Riyanshu Takur. Authorities have also shut down the beach house and another club operating under the Romeo Lane chain.
Police have issued warrants for the arrest of the club’s owners, revealing that its operating license was granted despite incomplete documentation.
