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Kokani, North Macedonia (AP) — A major fire tore a nightclub in Kokani, eastern town of North Macedonia, early Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155 people, authorities said.
The Blaze broke out around 2:30am local time during a concert by a local club Pulse pop group, Home Minister Pance Tosskowsky told reporters. Officials added that 39 deaths have been identified so far, with 18 of the injured being in danger.
Toshkovski said that following the initial review it is likely that the fireworks burned the roof. The video showed young people lit up the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible, sparkling fireworks on stage as they hit the ceiling, followed by chaotic scenes within the club.
Throughout Sunday, relatives gathered in front of Kokhani hospital and city offices about 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, pleading with authorities for details. Local resident Draghi Stoyanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomse had died in the fire.
“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore… 150 families have been devastated. “Children are burning beyond recognition. There are corpses, there are just corpses (clubs).” From the European leader and Pope Francis’ office at the hospital last month, Alben Taravari said he received support from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and the president of Serbia Xelenskyy wrote in X’s post and suffers a quick recovery.
“All our capabilities are used in our utmost efforts to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy,” Tarabari told reporters, sometimes appearing to be visibly shaking.
The fire is the worst tragedy in recent memory of landlocked countries with a population of less than 2 million, and is the latest in deadly nightclub fires around the world.
President Goldana Siljanovska Davkova visited the burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.
“It’s terrible… I can’t believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people the courage to continue.”
The club is located in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years according to local media MKD.
The fire partially collapsed the roof of the single-storey building, revealing burnt ruins of wooden beams and debris. Police blocked the site and sent evidence to collect teams in businesses that also involve state prosecutors.
State prosecutor Ljubco Kocevski said that although some people have been questioned by police, they did not give further details and emphasized that the cause of the flames is still under investigation.
An interior ministry official said the authorities investigated the venue’s license and safety regulations and added that the government has “moral responsibility” to indict the responsible person. Police have already arrested one man, but he has not provided details about his involvement.
Fatal fires at nightclubs are often caused, including those at the Collective Club in Bucharest, Romania, where 64 people died in 2015.
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AP writers from all over Europe contributed.
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