AT least 59 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a devastating fire at a packed nightclub in Kocani in North Macedonia, according to Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that arrest warrants have been issued for four individuals in connection with the fire.
The blaze erupted at the Pulse club at about 3am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday during a concert by the band DNK when pyrotechnics were set off inside the venue in Kocani, located about 100km (62 miles) east of the capital, Skopje.
Videos posted on social media networks and shot before the fire started show the use of “stage fountains” – a type of indoor fireworks used during performances.
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”, said Toshkovski.
Videos show the building engulfed in flames, with thick plumes of smoke rising into the night sky.
The government is expected to declare a seven-day mourning period, the country’s Sloboden Pecat newspaper reported. It is also planning to order emergency inspections of all nightclubs and restaurant venues that host parties, the report added.
People in Kocani told Al Jazeera’s Maja Blajevska that this is a huge tragedy not just for such a small town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, but for the whole country.
“Here, on the side of the road, many parents are still searching for their children,” she said.
North Macedonia’s MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalised at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Center.
Kristina Serafimova, director of Kocani General Hospital, where many victims were initially treated, said most of the injured are aged between 14 and 24, according to the Sloboden Pecat newspaper.
Serafimova added that some of the deceased remain unidentified as they were not carrying identification documents. Among those verified, there were three members of the band DNK – Andrej Gorgieski, Filip Stevanovski, and Gorgi Gorgijev – as well as the group’s backup vocalist and photographer, Sara Projkovska.
Twenty people have been arrested so far in connection with the fire, including a Ministry of the Economy’s employee – the institution responsible for issuing licenses – after it was revealed that the nightclub’s operating license had been falsified.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in a post on Facebook: “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”