Photos: North Macedonia reels from deadly nightclub fire

9 hours ago 1

At least 59 killed and more than 100 injured after a huge fire rips through a nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani.

Police officers investigate a nightclub after a huge fire.

Police officers at the entrance of the nightclub after it was destroyed by a huge fire, in the town of Kocani [Boris Grdanoski/AP Photo]

Published On 16 Mar 2025

A fire tore through a nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani in North Macedonia, killing 59 people, according to the country’s interior minister.

More than 100 people were also wounded in the fire early on Sunday in the “Club Pulse”, Interior Minister Pance Toskovsk said.

Toskovski said the fire was probably caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices “used for light effect at the concert”.

As they were set off, “the sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke,” he said.

The establishment had been packed with more than 1,000 mostly young fans to see a popular hip-hop duo called DNK.

Helicopters ferried some of the injured to hospitals in the capital Skopje, some 100km (62 miles) to the west.

Twenty-seven of them were admitted to the Naum Ohridski clinic, a doctor at the facility, Nebojsa Nastov, told online media outlet SDK.

In September 2021, a major fire killed 14 people at a unit for COVID-19 patients in the northwestern town of Tetovo.

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

A view of the nightclub where nearly 60 people were killed in a fire in Kocani. The fire started at 3am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday. [Georgi Licovski/EPA]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

Emergency responders operate outside the night club. [Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

Interior Minister Pance Toskovsk said the fire was probably caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices 'used for light effect at the concert'. [Boris Grdanoski/AP Photo]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

A view outside the night club. [Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

The establishment had been packed with more than 1,000 mostly young fans to see a popular hip-hop duo. [Georgi Licovski/EPA]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

Officials said the injured have been taken to hospitals around the country, including the capital, Skopje. [Boris Grdanoski/AP Photo]

North Macedonia Nightclub Fire

Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalized, adding he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria and Greece. [Ognien Teofilovski/Reuters]

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