 "A fire that tore through a nightclub in North Macedonia killed 51 revellers attending a hip-hop concert at the venue, with more than 100 wounded. AFP")
A fire tore through a packed nightclub in eastern North Macedonia early Sunday (March 16), killing at least 59 people and injuring at least 155 people, authorities said.
Of the injured, 18 were in critical condition.
“According to the information that we have, there are 59 persons deceased of which 35 are identified. Of the identified, 31 persons are from Kocani and four from Stip,” Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said.
Emergency teams transported the injured to hospitals in Kocani, Skopje, and Stip, with helicopters ferrying the most critical cases to the capital. Doctor Nebojsa Nastov at the Naum Ohridski clinic in Skopje said 27 people had been admitted there.
The nightclub was crowded with more than 1,000 people attending a performance by the popular hip-hop duo DNK, officials said.
How did the fire start?
Toskovski said the blaze at “Club Pulse” in the town of Kocani likely started when on-stage fireworks ignited the ceiling, which was made of flammable material. The fire spread rapidly, filling the venue with thick smoke.
Videos circulating on social media before the incident showed indoor fireworks– known as “stage fountains”– being used during the performance.
The fire broke out at around 3 am (0200 GMT), according to local media reports. Video footage published by North Macedonian outlets showed the club’s entrance blackened by flames.
“Sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke,” Toskovski said after visiting the scene.
Four arrest warrants have already been issued.
Global reactions
Sunday’s tragedy is among the deadliest nightclub fires in recent history. In September 2021, a fire at a COVID-19 hospital in the northwestern town of Tetovo killed 14 people.
Leaders of neighbouring countries offered help.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov spoke on Facebook of the fire being “a huge human tragedy” and offered to have his air force fly some of those injured to medical facilities in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and the city of Varna.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGreek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X, formerly Twitter, that he sent “heartfelt condolences to the people of North Macedonia for the lives lost in the tragic fire”.
“Greece stands ready to assist in this difficult time,” he added.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was “at a loss for words” and expressed readiness “to provide any assistance that may be needed”.
There were also messages from parts of the European Union, which North Macedonia has ambitions to join.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on X that she was “deeply saddened about the tragic fire” and that “the EU shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia”.
With inputs from agencies