North Macedonia nightclub fire claims more than 50 lives in Kocani

Watch: North Macedonia nightclub ablaze

At least 59 people have been killed and more than 155 injured in a nightclub fire in North Macedonia, officials say.

The blaze broke out around 02:30 (01:30 GMT) at the Pulse club in Kocani, a town around 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, where 1,500 people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called it a “difficult and very sad day” for the country, which had lost many “young lives.”

Arrest warrants were issued for four people, interior minister Pance Toskovski said at the scene, without giving further details. He announced the arrest of a man earlier and state news agency Mia said the club owner was detained.

Citing initial reports, Toskovski said the fire had been started by sparks from pyrotechnic devices that had hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material.

Footage shows the band playing on stage when two flares go off, sparks then catch fire on the ceiling before spreading rapidly.

Video verified by the BBC shows people trying to extinguish the flames on the ceiling. The footage shows the club was still full and some people appeared to be watching efforts to put out the fire, rather than leaving.

Reuters

As many as 1,500 were said to have been attending a concert by the band DNK

Marija Taseva, 20, told Channel 5 TV she was caught in a crush at the club as people rushed for the exits. She recalled falling to the ground and being trampled in the chaos before managing to get out.

Her family were still searching for her 25-year-old sister, though, who had not been found in any local hospital – and may have been transferred to Skopje for treatment.

The interior minister had earlier announced a death toll of 51 – with some 100 injured. In his update, he said 35 of the deceased had already been identified.

Local media has reported that the government is set to declare seven days of national mourning and carry out urgent inspections of all nightclubs and restaurants hosting large gatherings.

Kocani’s hospital director said earlier that staff had been struggling to identify patients due to a lack of ID cards.

However, she went on to say that those deceased were aged between of 14 and 24.

Eighteen patients are said to be in critical condition.

In a statement, the prime minister said the government was “fully mobilised and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy”.

DNK was formed in 2002 and has topped the charts over the past decade.

Local authorities declared seven days of mourning and European leaders have voiced their condolences, with Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission, saying the bloc “stands in solidarity with the people of North Macedonia in this difficult time”.

Additional reporting from Richard Irvine-Brown.