- A fire at an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia killed 59 people and injured 155.
- The blaze, caused by on-stage fireworks, led to a stampede and rapid spread due to flammable materials.
- Authorities are investigating corruption and bribery linked to the club鈥檚 falsified licence and illegal operations.
A fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub packed with mostly young people in North Macedonia early on Sunday, killing 59 people, apparently after on-stage fireworks at a hip-hop concert set the venue ablaze, authorities said.
Some 155 people injured in the inferno were taken to hospitals across the country, with 22 of them in critical condition, officials said. Some of the more serious cases were sent to hospitals in neighbouring Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Croatia.
Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said more than 20 of the injured and three of the dead were minors.
鈥淎t the time of the event around 500 people were inside, while 250 tickets were sold,鈥 he said.
The blaze started in the Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani, which was packed with mostly young fans attending a concert by a popular hip-hop duo called DNK.
One of DNK鈥檚 singers, Andrej Gjorgjieski, was killed and the other, Vladimir Blazev, was injured, while a guitarist, a drummer and a backup singer also died.
Relatives of the victims wait for news at the garden of Kocani General Hospital on March 16, 2025 in Kocani, North Macedonia. Photo / Getty Images
鈥淭he fire started around 2.30am [1.30 GMT], the sparklers that were on stage ignited the styrofoam on the ceiling. I heard an explosion and the roof collapsed,鈥 one young person who attended the concert told local media.
鈥淲e all rushed to get out, we all ran towards one door that was for both entry and exit,鈥 they were quoted as saying.
The fire was probably caused by pyrotechnic devices 鈥渦sed for lighting effects at the concert鈥, said Toskovski, who visited the scene with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
鈥淪parks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke,鈥 Toskovski said.
At a later press conference, Toskovski said that the authorities were investigating whether 鈥渃orruption鈥 and 鈥渂ribery鈥 were linked to the deadly nightclub fire.
鈥淭his company does not have a legal licence,鈥 he said, referring to the club.
鈥淭his licence, as many other things in Macedonia in the past, is connected to bribery and corruption. In this case, those involved in illegal issuance of licence have names and will be held responsible,鈥 he added.
After calling for a minute of silence to honour the victims and sending condolences to the families, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the club had falsified its licence and that all involved will face responsibility.
He said inspectors will check all licences for buildings in the country, and that 鈥淚 am convinced that we will find hundreds鈥 that were issued illegally.
鈥淭his is the culmination of one bad, broken system that eats away at our hopes and our dreams. Either we will beat it, or it will beat us,鈥 he added.
More than 20 people were under investigation over the blaze, 15 of whom were already in police custody, while others were in hospital, the Interior Minister said earlier.
The list of suspects includes the owner of the club, the organiser of the event, and people responsible for security.
A former director of the rescue services and a state secretary at the economy ministry were among those detained, he said.
The head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told media that 鈥渕ost of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit鈥.
鈥淪eventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning,鈥 she said.
鈥楲et us unite鈥
The Government proclaimed a seven-day mourning period and ordered flags lowered.
鈥淟et us unite our forces, let us not allow anyone else to sacrifice standards for profit, nothing is more valuable than the lives of young people,鈥 North Macedonia鈥檚 President Gordana Siljanovska said.
Pope Francis sent prayers to the victims and survivors, the Vatican said in a message addressed to the bishop of Skopje, Kiro Stojanov.
Videos posted on social networks and shot before the fire showed there were 鈥渟tage fountains鈥 set up 鈥 a type of indoor fireworks used during performances.
Other videos showed huge flames emerging from the building, a two-storey white structure in Kocani, a town with 30,000 residents.
An AFP photographer in the town saw military medical vehicles arrive to reinforce staff at the local hospital tending to some of the injured.
Leaders of neighbouring countries sent condolences.
The EU鈥檚 foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on X that she was 鈥渄eeply saddened about the tragic fire鈥 and that 鈥渢he EU shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia鈥.
- Agence France-Presse
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