Nightclub fire in North Macedonia leaves 59 dead, dozens more injured

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 16, 2025 9:03 AM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

Fire ripped done a packed nightclub aboriginal connected Sunday successful the North Macedonian municipality of Kocani, sidesplitting 59 radical and injuring much than 100, aft sparks ignited the extortion implicit a unrecorded band.

Arrest warrants person been issued for 4 radical successful transportation with the fire, said Interior Minister Pance Toshkovski. State quality bureau Mia said constabulary person detained the proprietor of the nine implicit the incident.

One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed a set playing connected signifier flanked by 2 flares firing achromatic sparks into the air, immoderate of which acceptable the ceiling alight.

The occurrence caused contiguous panic, and friends and loved ones were separated arsenic radical fled to the exits.

"Everyone was trying to prevention themselves," subsister Marija Taseva, 22, told section TV 5.

As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the crushed and radical ran implicit her, leaving her with an wounded connected her cheek. In the rush, she mislaid interaction with sister, who is inactive missing.

"We can't find her successful immoderate hospital," she said.

Minors among those injured

Health Minister Arben Taravari said 148 radical were hospitalized successful Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns. Eighteen radical were critically injured, Taravari said.

North Macedonia's MRT nationalist broadcaster reported that 27 radical were hospitalized astatine the Skopje City Hospital with terrible burns, and different 23 were being treated astatine a objective centre. Among the injured were minors, it said.

The fire, which began astatine about 3 a.m., was caused by "pyrotechnic devices" whose sparks triggered the blaze, Toshkovski said.

Ljupco Kocevski, North Macedonia's nationalist prosecutor, said 5 prosecutors would analyse the incident.

"At the moment, orders person been issued for collecting of evidence" and immoderate radical were being interviewed, Kocevski said, without elaborating.

Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entranceway to the Pulse nightclub, arsenic ambulances rushed from the scene, TV footage from a section broadcaster showed. Reuters pictures showed the club's corrugated robust extortion burned done and collapsed successful places, its interior woody beams exposed and blackened.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said connected Facebook: "This is simply a hard and precise bittersweet time for Macedonia! The nonaccomplishment of truthful galore young lives is irreparable, the symptom of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable."

After visiting injured successful a infirmary successful Skopje, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, dressed successful achromatic and warring tears, said authorities were acceptable to bash everything to assistance each affected.

"I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy."