A nightclub fire in North Macedonia has left at least 59 people dead and over 155 wounded, according to officials.
Around 2:30 (01:30 GMT), a nightclub fire broke out at the Pulse club in Kocani, a town about 60 miles (100 km) east of Skopje, the country’s capital, where 1,500 people were there to see a performance by the well-known hip-hop group DNK.
The loss of several “young lives” made it a “difficult and very sad day” for the nation, according to Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
While investigations are ongoing, police have banned entry to the nightclub. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski stated in an update on Saturday afternoon that the club lacked a valid operating license.
Toskovski informed reporters that authorities are looking into claims of bribery and corruption connected to the incident.
The location, which was once a carpet warehouse, has been referred to as a “improvised nightclub” in the local media.
It was hosting a show for DNK, a 2002-formed band that has led the North Macedonian charts for the last ten years, when the nightclub fire broke out.
According to Toskovski, who cited preliminary investigations, the nightclub fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnic devices that struck the ceiling, which was composed of a highly combustible substance.
Video captures the band performing on stage as two flares go off, followed by sparks that ignite the roof and quickly spread.
People can be seen attempting to put out the flames on the ceiling in footage that the BBC had confirmed. The club was still packed, according to the video, and several patrons seemed to be observing attempts to extinguish the nightclub fire rather than departing.
There was reportedly just one way to enter and leave the makeshift nightclub, which led to panic.
As everyone hurried to leave the party, 20-year-old Marija Taseva told Channel 5 TV that she got stuck in a crowd. She remembered getting crushed underfoot in the confusion and then collapsing to the ground, but she was able to escape.
She said, “I don’t know how, but somehow I managed to get out,” to the news agency Reuters. “I’m fine now, but there are many dead.”
Her family had been looking for her 25-year-old sister, but she revealed that she had passed away, stating, “I was saved and she wasn’t.”
Mustafa Saidov, a Red Cross worker, stated that the majority of those impacted were young adults between the ages of 18 and 20.
“The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad, and unfortunately many young lives are lost,” he said.
Authorities have previously declared that the killings were “needless” and promised to hold those involved accountable.
In a previous update, Toskovski, the interior minister of North Macedonia, stated that 35 of the dead had been identified at that point.
A paucity of ID cards has made it difficult for personnel to identify patients, according to Kocani’s hospital director.
According to her, the deceased ranged in age from 14 to 24. According to reports, 18 individuals are in critical condition.
The government is conducting an extraordinary session as part of its continuing investigations into the incident’s circumstances, and it has announced seven days of national mourning.
The administration is “fully mobilized and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy,” according to Prime Minister Mickoski.
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen said the EU “stands in solidarity with the people of North Macedonia in this difficult time” as part of the condolences expressed by European leaders.
Described as “a tragedy of immense magnitude,” neighboring Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that there are still concerns that “many more people will not be able to withstand the level of injuries they have at this moment.”
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