Fire at North Macedonia nightclub claims 59 lives

Fire ripped through a packed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, after sparks ignited the roof over a live band.

Arrest warrants have been issued for four people in connection with the fire, said interior minister Pance Toskovski. State news agency Mia said that police have detained the owner of the club over the incident.

One video from the event, showed a band playing on stage flanked by two flares, the white sparks of which set the ceiling alight.

Friends and family were separated in a panicked rush to the exits. “Everyone was trying to save themselves,” survivor Marija Taseva, 22, told local TV 5.

As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod over her, leaving her with an injury on her cheek. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who is still missing.

“We can’t find her in any hospital,” she said.

Interior Minister Pance Toskovski confirmed that the fire, which began at around 3 am (0200 GMT), was caused by “pyrotechnic devices” whose sparks triggered the blaze.

About 148 people were hospitalised in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said at a press conference. Eighteen people were critically injured, Taravari said.

North Macedonia’s MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalized at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Center.

Among the injured were minors, it said.

People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country on Sunday.