Nightclub fire kills at least 59, injures 155 in North Macedonia
In the eastern town of Kocani, North Macedonia, a nightclub was destroyed by a massive fire early on Sunday, leaving 155 people injured and 59 dead, according to authorities.
Promotion At around 2:30 in the morning, a local pop group was performing at Club Pulse when the fire started, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski informed reporters. According to him, 39 of the deceased have been identified thus far.
According to his preliminary assessment, the roof most likely caught fire due to pyrotechnics. As the musicians urged everyone to leave as soon as possible, videos showed chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke.
Dragi Stojanov, a resident of Kocani, was told that his 21-year-old son Tomce had perished in the fire as family members gathered outside hospitals to await updates.
“My only child was him. “I no longer need my life,” he declared. “One hundred and fifty families have been devastated.”
Officials said the injured have been taken to hospitals around the country, including the capital, Skopje, many with severe burns. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organizations.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalized, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.
“All our capabilities have been put to use, in a maximum effort to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told reporters, at times looking visibly shaken.
This is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million.
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.
It’s terrible … hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”
In an online post, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote: “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”
Family members gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of Skopje, begging authorities for more information.
The club was in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years, according to local media MKD.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.
A state prosecutor, Ljubco Kocevski, said several people were being questioned by police but gave no further details and stressed that the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.
Interior ministry officials said authorities would investigate the venue’s licensing and safety provisions, adding that the government had a “moral responsibility” to help prosecute anyone responsible. Police have arrested one man already, but he didn’t provide details on the person’s involvement.