A massive fire broke out early on Sunday in the nightclub, killing 59 people and injuring about 100 more, interior minister Panche Toshkovski said.
ADVERTISEMENTA massive nightclub fire killed 59 people early Sunday in North Macedonia’s eastern town of Kočani, and injured more than 100, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told a press conference.
The blaze broke out around 2:35 am during a concert by a local pop group at the Pulse nighclub, according to Toshkovski. He said pyrotechnics 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.
Kočani TV station reported that fire crews came from nearby cities to tackle it. It also posted video of fire crews at the nightclub.
Officials said the injured have been taken to hospitals around the country, including the capital Skopje, many with severe burns. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organisations.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalised, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighbouring countries.
“All our capabilities have been put to use, in a maximum effort to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told reporters, at times looking visibly shaken.
This is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked Western Balkan nation of some 1.8 million.
“This is a difficult and very sad day for (North) Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote on X.
“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.”
Family members gathered in front of hospitals and Kočani’s city offices, asking authorities for more information.
The club was in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years, according to local outlet MKD.
Toshkovski said that authorities would investigate the venue’s licensing and safety provisions, adding that the government had a “moral responsibility” to help prosecute anyone responsible. Police have arrested one man already, but he didn’t provide details on the person’s involvement.
Condolences poured in from politicians across the region, including Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
ADVERTISEMENTOne of Europe’s worst nightclub fires in recent years
The fire in Kočani is one of the worst blazes in European nightclubs in recent years. In Turkey, a fire in the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul in April 2024 trapped workers and employees while the venue was closed for renovations. It killed 29 people.
In October 2023, a blaze that started at a nightclub in the city of Murcia and spread to two other clubs left 13 people dead.
A blaze that broke out during a rock band’s pyrotechnics display at the Colectiv nightclub in the capital Bucharest in October 2015 killed 64 people and left some 190 injured.
The worst nightclub fire took place in Russia in December 2009. Some 152 people died when a blaze broke out at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm. It started when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches.
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