More than 100 people were injured in the deadly fire at the nightclub in Kocani, about 100km east of the capital, Skopje.
According to Panache Toshkovski, the interior
minister, the devastating fire that broke out at a packed nightclub in Kocani
in North Macedonia resulted in at least 59 deaths and more than 100
injuries. When pyrotechnics were set off inside the Pulse club in Kocani, about
100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, the fire broke out
around 3 a.m. (02:00 GMT) on Sunday during a concert by the band DNA.
Toshkovski said on Sunday,
"Sparks caused fire... and fire spread through the discotheque,"
confirming that "pyrotechnic devices" used during the concert caused
the fire. The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that arrest warrants had
been issued for four individuals in connection with the fire.
The Reuters news agency confirmed a video of
the event that shows a band performing on stage while two flares shoot white
sparks into the air. The sparks set the ceiling alight above the band, who
appeared to step away as the video cuts.
Videos on social media show the
building in flames and thick smoke rising into the night sky. ‘A huge tragedy’
Al Jazeera’s Maja Blajevska,
reporting from Kocani, said people here are saying this is a huge tragedy for
this small town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, but also a huge tragedy
for the whole country.
“Here, on the side of the road,
many parents are still searching for their children,” she said.
According to the public broadcaster MRT in
North Macedonia, 23 people were receiving treatment at the Clinical Center, and
27 people were being treated for severe burns at the Skopje City Hospital.
According to the Slobodan Pecat newspaper, Kristina Serafimova, director of
Kocani General Hospital, where many of the victims were initially treated,
stated that the majority of the injured were between the ages of 14 and 24.
Serafimova added that some of the
deceased remain unidentified as they were not carrying identification
documents. She stated, "We cannot
confirm the exact number of fatalities until the identification process is
completed.
" Prime Minister Hristijan
Mickoski said in a post on Facebook: “This is a difficult and very sad day for
Macedonia! The pain endured by the loved ones, friends, and families of so many
young people is unimaginable. "I call on all competent institutions,
including health services and relevant authorities, to take immediate action to
assist the injured and support the affected families." Emergency services
and a public prosecutor from Kocani's Basic Public Prosecutor's Office,
according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were at the scene. “The number
of victims and injured is still being determined.
All resources and capacities of
the prosecution offices will be mobilized to support the Kocani prosecution in
its urgent response,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Following the tragic fire, the European Union
joined a growing number of nations in offering their condolences. “Heartbroken
by the loss of so many young people in the terrible fire in Kocani. The European Council's president, Antonio
Costa, expressed his condolences to all of the victims' families.
