Killed at least 51 after fatal fire north -macedonia -night club breaks out

Skopje, Nord -Macedonia (AP) – A massive fire tore a night club in North Macedonia The eastern city of Kocani early Sunday, killed 51 people and injured more than 100, said the authorities.

The flame broke out at around 2:35 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group in the Pulse Nightclub, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters.

He said that pyrotechnics had to catch the roof to fire. Videos showed chaos in the club, whereby young people ran through the smoke when the musicians asked people to flee as quickly as possible.

Officials said that the injuries had been brought to hospitals across the country, including the capital Skopje, many with severe burns. The efforts were supported by several volunteer organizations.

Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people were hospitalized and added that he had received support from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria and Greece.

“All of our skills were used to save the young people who are involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told reporters who sometimes looked visibly shaken.

This is the worst tragedy in the recent memory that the internal nation is to be hit, the population of which is less than 2 million.

“This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young life is irreparable, and the pain of families, relatives and friends is immeasurable, ”wrote Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on X, formerly Twitter.

“People and the government will do everything in their power to at least easily relieve their pain and help them in these most difficult moments.”

Family members gathered in front of hospitals and Kocanis offices begging the authorities for further information.

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

The fire parted the roof of the one -story building and unveiled the charred remains of wooden beams and rubble. The police identified from the location and sent evidence to collect the teams in an operation in which prosecutors were also involved.

Toshkovski said the authorities would examine the event location's license and security regulations, and added that the government had a “moral responsibility” to pursue someone who is responsible. The police have already arrested a man, but he gave no details about the person's participation.

When they woke up overnight about the tragedy of the night, the immediate neighbors and leaders of the country sent out condolences from the further distance in Europe.

The head of foreign policy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, set on X that she was “deeply sad” and said that the 27-nation block shares “the grief and pain of people in North Macedonia”. North Macedonia is a candidate for the EU membership.

Condolate of politicians in the region, including Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I wish those who had violated a quick recovery. Ukraine mourns this sad day next to our (northern) Macedonian friends, ”wrote Zelenskyy about X.

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AP writers Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece; Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania; And John Leicester in Paris contributed.