KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire tore through a nightclub in North Macedonia’s eastern town of Kocani early Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155, authorities said.
The blaze broke out around 2:30 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group at Club Pulse, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. He said 39 of the dead had so far been identified.
He said, following an initial assessment, pyrotechnics likely 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.
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As relatives gathered outside hospitals to await news, Kocani resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.
“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore,” he said. “One hundred and fifty families have been devastated.”
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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 organizations.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalized, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.
“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 nation, whose population is less than 2 million.
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.
“It’s terrible … hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”
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In an online post, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote: “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”
Family members gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 72 miles east of Skopje, begging authorities for more information.
