In the early hours of Sunday, a fire broke out at a nightclub in northern Macedonia during a concert by the popular local rock band DNK. According to the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA), the incident occurred in the small town of Kocani, approximately 100 kilometers east of Skopje.
In a statement to the agency, Interior Minister Panče Toškovski reported that 51 people lost their lives in the blaze. Over 100 concertgoers were injured, according to the minister. Toškovski assured that anyone found to be criminally responsible for the incident would be held accountable.
Initial reports suggest that pyrotechnics, used for lighting effects during the concert, were the spark that ignited the fire, which quickly spread throughout the nightclub, producing thick smoke.
At the time of the disaster, approximately 1,500 people, mostly young, were in the nightclub. Media in Macedonia reported on the dramatic scenes, with desperate parents searching for their children on social media with photos.
Citizens helped by using their own vehicles to follow ambulances and transport the seriously injured to hospitals in Kocani, Stip and Skopje, as the hospital in Kocani quickly became overwhelmed. A video circulating on social media appears to show the outbreak of the fire, with pyrotechnics seemingly igniting the nightclub’s ceiling.