By Deutsche Welle (World News) | Created at 2025-03-16 09:31:01 | Updated at 2025-03-17 04:18:10
19 hours ago
A fire in a nightclub in the North Madedonian town of Kocani early on Sunday morning has killed at least 51 people and left dozens more injured.
More than a thousand mostly young people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when the fire broke out, the state news agency MIA reported.
What do we know about the fire?
"According to the data we have by now, 51 persons lost their lives, and more than 100 persons are injured and transported in the hospitals in Stip, Kocani and Skopje," Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said after visiting the scene of the fire.
He said the fire had been started by pyrotechnics used by clubgoers amd that one man had been arrested in connection with the incident, without giving further details.
According to online media outlet SDK, the fire started at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT).
It cited rescue sources as saying more than 100 people were also injured in the blaze.
Local media said the blaze quickly spread to the ceiling and roof of the club, identified by MIA as the "Pulse" discotheque.
'A very sad day for Macedonia'
North Macedonia's prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski. wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was "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," he wrote, adding: "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."
Kocani is located some 100 km (60 miles) to the east of the capital, Skopje, and has a population of around 30,000.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
