At least 59 people have been killed and more than 155 injured in a devastating nightclub fire in North Macedonia.
The blaze broke out around 02.30 local time at the Pulse club in Kocani, a town about 100 km east of the capital, Skopje.
Around 1,500 people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when the fire erupted.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called it a “difficult and very sad day” for the country.
Around 1,500 people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when the fire erupted
REUTERS
Initial reports suggest the fire was started by sparks from pyrotechnic devices that hit the highly flammable ceiling material.
Footage shows the band playing when two flares go off, with sparks igniting the ceiling before rapidly spreading.
Videos show people initially trying to extinguish the flames rather than evacuating the packed venue. Many appeared to be watching the firefighting efforts instead of leaving immediately.
Marija Taseva, 20, told Channel 5 TV she was caught in a crush as people rushed for the exits. She fell to the ground and was trampled in the chaos before managing to escape.
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Her family was still searching for her 25-year-old sister, who had not been found in any local hospital. Her sister may have been transferred to Skopje for treatment.
Kocani’s hospital initially received 90 patients suffering severe burns.The health minister reported that 18 people remained in critical condition.
Hospital director Kristina Serafimova told local media that staff struggled to identify patients due to a lack of ID cards.
She revealed that those who died were aged between 14 and 24.
Interior Minister Toskovski said that of the 59 deceased, only 35 have been identified so far.
The government has fully mobilised to deal with the tragedy, according to Prime Minister Mickoski.
“We will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy,” he said in a statement.
Arrest warrants have been issued for four people, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski announced at the scene.
One man has already been arrested, though authorities have not provided further details about the suspects
REUTERS
One man has already been arrested, though authorities have not provided further details about the suspects.
DNK, the hip-hop duo performing when the tragedy occurred, was formed in 2002. The group has topped the charts in North Macedonia over the past decade.
They were playing to a packed venue of 1,500 people when the pyrotechnic display went catastrophically wrong.
The popular musicians were on stage when the flares were set off, as shown in the verified footage of the incident’s early moments.