A nightclub fire in the eastern North Macedonian town of Kocani has killed at least 59 people and injured 155 others.
North Macedonia Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters in a news briefing that the blaze broke out at 3 am on Sunday at the Pulse nightclub, where around 1,500 people, mostly young clubgoers, were attending a concert by a popular hip-hop act.
Toshkovski said 155 injured people had been taken to hospitals across the country, with 18 in critical condition and some serious cases set to be transferred to other European countries for treatment.
The minister said the fire was probably caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices "used for light effects at the concert".
"At the moment of activating the so-called sprinklers, the sparks caught the ceiling that was made of easily flammable material after which for a very short period of time the fire spread across the whole discotheque, creating a thick smoke," he said.
Footage from the event, verified by Reuters, shows a band performing on stage with two flares firing white sparks upwards. The sparks ignited the ceiling above the band, who can be seen stepping away as the video ends.
North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski expressed his "deep sadness" over the "tragedy" in a statement posted to social media. The devastating loss of young lives was "irreparable", he said while offering condolences to bereaved families.
The prime minister promised full government support for investigating the blaze's cause and voiced hope the injured would recover quickly. He stressed the government was "fully mobilized" in response to the disaster.
"I call on all competent institutions – health services, police, local authorities – to take urgent measures to assist the injured and support the affected families," he said.
"In these times of deep sadness, when our hearts are broken with pain due to this terrible tragedy, I call for unity, solidarity, humanity and responsibility," he added.
Firefighters had doused the charred and smoking entrance to the club, television footage from a local broadcaster showed.
"Initially we didn't believe there was a fire, then there was huge panic in the crowd and a stampede to get out," a young concertgoer told local media outside a Skopje hospital, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Emergency responders arrived quickly and "tried to resuscitate people... but it wasn't enough," she added, while waiting for her friend who was receiving treatment for hand burns.
The interior ministry said arrest warrants were issued for four people connected to the tragedy, and that a criminal investigation had been opened. No immediate details were provided about the individuals named in the warrants.
Leaders from neighboring countries Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and of the European Union expressed condolences and offered assistance, including medical facilities for the injured.
jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com
