Fifty-nine dead and 155 hurt in North Macedonia nightclub fire

The blaze began about 2.35am (6.35pm AEDT) on Sunday during a concert by a local pop group, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. He said 39 of the dead had so far been identified.

Following an initial assessment, Toshkovski said 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.

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 organisations.

Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalised, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighbouring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria and Greece.

“All our capabilities have been put to use, in a maximum effort to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told reporters, at times looking visibly shaken.

This is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million.

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.

“It’s terrible … hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion.

“We must give these young people courage to continue.”

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said 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 on X, formerly Twitter.

“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.”

Family members gathered in front of hospitals and Kocani’s city offices begging authorities for more information.

The club was in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years, according to local media MKD.

The fire caused the roof of the single-storey building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris.

Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.

A state prosecutor, Ljubco Kocevski, said several people were being questioned by police but gave no further details and stressed that the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.

Toshkovski said authorities would investigate the venue’s licensing and safety provisions, adding that the government had a “moral responsibility” to help prosecute anyone responsible.

Police have arrested one man already, but he didn’t provide details on the person’s involvement.

As they awoke to news of the overnight tragedy, the country’s immediate neighbours and leaders from further afield in Europe sent condolences.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, posted on X that she was “deeply saddened” and said the 27-nation bloc “shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia.” North Macedonia is a candidate for EU membership.

Condolences also poured in from politicians across the region, including Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.