A massive fire torn a nightclub in the eastern city in northern Macedonia, Kocani on Sunday, killing 51 people and injuring more than 100, the authorities announced.
The fire broke out around 2:35 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group at the Discotheque Pulse, the Minister of the Interior, Panche Toshkovski, told journalists.
He said the pyrotechnics caused the roof fire. The videos showed chaos inside the club, the young people crossing the smoke while the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.
Officials said the injured had been taken to hospitals in the country, including the capital, Skopje, many of whom have serious burns. The effort was assisted by several volunteer organizations.
The Minister of Health, Arben Taravari, said that 118 people had been hospitalized, adding that he had received assistance offers from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria and Greece.
Boris Grdanoski / AP
“All of our abilities have been used, in maximum efforts to save as many lives as possible young people involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told journalists, who sometimes looked visibly.
It is the worst tragedy of recent memory to reach the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million.
“It’s a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of families, dear beings and friends is immeasurable, “wrote Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on X, formerly Twitter.
“The people and the government will do everything in their power to relieve their pain at least and help them in these most difficult times.”
Family members gathered in front of the hospitals and offices of the city of Kocani begging the authorities for more information.
The club was in a former building which was previously a carpet warehouse and has been taking place for several years, according to local MKD media.
The fire caused the roof of the building on one floor partially, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. The police have completed the site and sent evidence that brings together teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.
Toshkovski said the authorities would investigate the location and security provisions of the place, adding that the government had “moral responsibility” to help pursue any responsible person. The police have already arrested a man, but he did not provide details on the participation of the person.
While they woke up to the news of the tragedy overnight, the neighbors and immediate leaders of the country from further away in Europe sent condolences.
The head of the European Union foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, posted on X that she was “deeply saddened” and said that the 27 nations block “shares the sorrow and the pain of the people of northern Macedonia”. Northern Macedonia is a candidate for EU membership.
The condolences also flocked to politicians from the region, notably the Albanian Prime Minister EDI Rama, the European Commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I wish those who were injured in rapid recovery. Ukraine is crying alongside our Macedonian friends (North) on this sad day, “wrote Zelenskyy on X.