At least 23 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night, police said. Most of the dead were the club`s kitchen workers, and included three women, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. There were `three to four tourists` among those killed, he added.

Sawant, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that of the 23, three succumbed to burn injuries and the others died due to suffocation. As per initial information, the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms, the chief minister said.