The fire broke out at midnight local time between Saturday and Sunday in a beach club in the village of Arpora in the northern part of the tourist paradise.
The fire, which has now been extinguished, is believed to have started in the kitchen area and police believe that the majority of those killed worked in the kitchen at the nightclub. A number of tourists were also among the dead, according to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. There is no information that Swedish citizens were at the club.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a gas cylinder exploding, reports the AP Press Trust of India.
At least 100 people were reportedly on the club's dance floor when the fire broke out. Reports of injuries vary.
The emergency services were forced to park their cars approximately 400 meters from the club due to lack of accessibility, which led to a delay in the operation.
According to a local official, there was previously a demolition order for the club that was later overturned by higher-ranking officials.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident deeply saddening and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, in a post on social media.
Pramod Sawant has ordered an investigation into the incident.
"The investigation will examine the exact cause of the fire and whether fire safety guidelines and building codes were followed," he writes on the X platform.
