Fifty-one people have been killed and about 100 more injured in a massive fire that broke out in a nightclub in North Macedonia’s eastern town of Kočani, the interior minister has told a press conference.
The blaze began at around 2.35am on Sunday morning during a concert by a local pop group, according to the minister, Panche Toshkovski. He said the young clubgoers used pyrotechnics that caused the roof to catch fire. Videos showed chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.
North Macedonia’s prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski. wrote on X: “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.
“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments.”
Relatives gathered in front of hospitals and Kočani’s city offices begging authorities for more information.
Toshkovski said police had arrested one man, but did not provide details about his involvement.
Citing the interior ministry, the state news agency MIA reported that about 1,500 people were attending the concert at the Pulse nightclub during a concert by DNK, a hip-hop duo popular in the country.
Kočani is a small town of around 30,000 inhabitants about 60 miles (100km) east of the capital, Skopje.
The wounded were taken either to the local hospital in Kočani or to Štip, about 20 miles south.
