It is assumed that the fire was sparked due to unwarranted use of fireworks. There are other reports that indicate it could have been started off by an electrical fault. More than 130 people have been reported injured along with those who lost their lives.

The fire was not the only thing that contributed to the death toll. Many people were trampled under the feet of clubbers that stampeded their way outside through the only exit of the burning nightclub.

Rescue workers continued to take out bodies from the burning nightclub as relatives of the victims stood outside weeping in shock and sorrow. The bodies were being loaded in pick up trucks and taken away. While some relatives were able to identify their burnt relatives others were charred beyond the scope of recognition.

Some of the survivors described how the flames engulfed the two story nightclub eventually causing the ceiling to collapse burying those inside. The Santika nightclub is considered to be one of the cities top notch hang out spots and this New Year Eve was set to be a special night. Fireworks were being set off from the stage and everybody was in the mood for full time partying.

One of the party goers present at the night club said “We were all dancing and suddenly there was a big flame that came out of the front of the stage and everybody was running away, there was an explosion and people started running for the doors and breaking the windows.”

The rescue workers were aided by taxi drivers and other people from the streets. They helped to drag the bodies out and lay them on the streets wrapped up in white cotton sheet. The explosion occurred half an hour into the New Year but this was not the kind of bang they were looking to start off the New Year with. Tos Maddy, one of the guests at the night club said “Everything went boom and people started running. The fire went very quickly.”