Panaji | The Goa nightclub, where a devastating blaze killed 25 people in the first week of December, stood in the middle of a salt pan and operated without a valid trade licence, said a state government-constituted magisterial inquiry whose report was released on Wednesday.

The 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, located in Arpora village in North Goa, continued to run illegally without a valid licence and no action was taken by the local panchayat to seal the property, said the probe report.

According to a police report cited in the inquiry, fireworks were organised at the establishment "without taking proper care and caution" and without adequate fire safety equipment, triggering the blaze on December 6 night that killed 25 people, including tourists and staffers of the nightclub.