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A fire that broke out in a nightclub in North Macedonia has claimed the lives of at least 51 people and has left over 100 injured, BBC reported Sunday, quoting the interior ministry.
The blaze was reported early Sunday at the Pulse club in Kocani, a town around 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital city of Skopje, the report said.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told a press conference that the blaze began around 2:35 a.m. during a concert by a local pop group, the Associated Press reported.
The young crowd at the club used pyrotechnics that caused the roof to catch fire, Toshkovski reportedly said, adding that police have arrested one man in connection with the incident.
Videos circulating on social media showed the crowd in a frenzy with the youth running through the smoke amid calls for escape.
Calling it a “difficult and very sad day for Macedonia”, North Macedonia’s prime minister Hristijan Mickoski said, “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable”.
“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments,” Mickoski wrote in a post on X.
(This is a breaking news story)
