Pyrotechnics that were held as a fire through a night club from North Macedonia and killed 59 people

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At least 59 people died and about 155 were injured after a fire had torn through a night club in North Macedonia, with the interior minister of the state of pyrotechnics responsible.

Hundreds had gathered in the “Pulse” night club in the city of Kochani east of the capital Skopje to watch the local act. The music duo should be one of the people killed.

The age of the victim is between 16 and 24, said the head of the Kochani General Hospital, Dr. Kristina Serafimova, according to State Media Outlet Mia. The majority of deaths had kicked feet in the crowd, added.

Interior Minister Vills Toshkovski announced the number of deaths at a press conference on Sunday and said that a fire had triggered on stage effects that spread quickly.

“The fire was caused by pyrotechnics that were used for lighting effects at the concert and the sprinkler activated,” he said. “Most likely, Sparks caught part of the ceiling, which consisted of flammable material, which caused the fire to spread to the entire discotheque in a short time and create thick smoke.”

Video from the venue shows a band that appears, while pyrotechnic devices on the front of the Sparks stage.

A concert visitor, 22-year-old Marija Taseva, told the local television station Channel 5 that when she tried to escape the fire, she fell to the ground and trampled people over her, Reuters reported.

“Everyone tried to save themselves,” said Taseva, adding that she had lost contact with her sister in chaos. “We cannot find them in any hospital,” she said.

At least 152 people who were injured in the tragedy were brought to hospitals all over the country, Mia reported, citing the country's Ministry of Health. According to Mia, dozens of victims are treated in their hands and faces due to burns, said Vlatko Zahariev, head of the city of Shtip hospital.

Twenty -seven of the most seriously injured victims receive the Ministry of Health abroad, according to Mia.

The football player Andrej Lazarov was confirmed as the deceased, announced his club FC Shkupi in an Instagram post on Sunday. Lazarov was 25.

The police arrested the owner of the night club on Sunday morning, Mia reported when the country's Justice Minister, Igor Filkov, said that everyone who is involved in the tragedy is held responsible. Four people are sought by the police in connection with the disaster.

The Macedonian North Minister Hristijan Mickoski said it was a “difficult and very sad day”.

“The loss of so many young life is irreparable, while the pain of our families, our close and our friends is immeasurable,” he wrote about X.

Managers from all over Europe went on social media to express their condolences for the catastrophe, including Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council.

Angela Aggeler, the US ambassador in North Macedonia, also put back on X via the incident and wrote that her heart offers for the victims of the tragedy and the support of the US message and resources of the US message.

Pope Francis also expressed his “deep” condolences to the families of the victims and assured them in a telegram sent in his name that those who have lost their lives will be remembered in prayer.

The catastrophe is one of the deadliest nightclub fires that have taken place for at least one decade. In 2015, Romania was devoured an overcrowded night club in Bucharest in flames after pyrotechnics had been brought in the way during a concert, 64 people being killed.

Two years earlier, more than 240 people died after a fire broke out in a night club in Santa Maria, Brazil. Pyrotechnics were also used in the club when the fire started.

The government of North Macedonia will explain a week of national grief on Sunday after the tragedy on Sunday.

This story has been updated with additional information.