A fire broke out in a nightclub in North Macedonia early Sunday, killing 51 people and injuring more than 100 others, authorities said.
Pyrotechnic devices sparked the fire at around 2:35 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kocani, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters.
“Sparks caused fire … and fire spread through the discotheque,” he said, according to Reuters.
The injured were rushed to hospitals across the country. Many of the injured suffered severe burns, officials said.
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 had been hospitalized, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.
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.
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.”
