At least 59 people have died and more than 100 others were injured in a fire at a nightclub.
The blaze broke out at the Pulse club in the eastern town of Kočani in North Macedonia at around 3:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 16, causing the deaths and injuries, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski announced in a press conference shared on Facebook by local outlet MIA News.
The fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics used during a concert at the nightclub, where the local pop group ADN performed, the minister confirmed, per North Macedonian newspaper Večer and the Associated Press.
AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski
Firefighter inspecting nightclub after fire in Kocani, North Macedonia on March 16
The injured were taken to hospitals around the country, including the capital, Skopje, with “severe burns,” the AP and regional news agency MIA reported. Some of the organizers were among those “seriously injured” in the fire, according to the minister.
“Everyone who made a mistake will bear responsibility. Of course, an autopsy will have to be performed to identify the deceased. We have deceased people in several hospitals,” Toshkovski said at the press conference, per Večer.
Kocani TV via AP
Rescue workers at nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, on March 16
Footage posted online shows the nightclub ablaze, with first responders trying to put out the fire and recover victims.
Health Minister Arben Taravari reported that those injured are all currently being cared for, though he did not disclose their conditions, Večer reported. He added that there’s “no need” for foreign assistance at this time.
Toshkovski said one man has been arrested and others have been detained as police investigate the cause of the fire, per BBC News, the AP and local outlet Balkan Insight.
“Some of the people who are under appropriate procedure have been detained, and some of the organizers have been seriously injured,” Toshkovski said, per Večer. “We are coordinating with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and will soon come up with more information. We will have to work step by step.”
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Kocani TV via AP
Rescue workers at nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, on March 16
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This incident is one of the worst in recent years for the country.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski shared a statement on Instagram, writing, “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia.”
He added, “The government is fully mobilized and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy.”
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, wrote on X that she is “deeply saddened by the tragic fire in Kočani North Macedonia, which claimed lives of too many young people. My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and the whole of North Macedonia.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the North Macedonia Police for comment.
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