A tragic fire erupted during a hip-hop concert by the band DNK at a nightclub in North Macedonia, resulting in the loss of at least 59 lives. The fire broke out around 2:35 am local time at a popular discotheque, where approximately 1,500 clubgoers had gathered, far exceeding the venue's capacity. The blaze, believed to have been triggered by special-effects pyrotechnic devices, swiftly engulfed the club, leading to chaos and tragedy.
The nightclub, which had only one exit and lacked fire extinguishers, was quickly consumed by flames. The interior's wooden beams were exposed and charred, while the corrugated iron roof was burnt through and collapsed in places. Most of the victims were teenagers and young adults, and over 155 people sustained injuries, with many in critical condition. Dr. Kristina Serafimova, head of Kočani general hospital, reported that at least 10 individuals were on respirators fighting for their lives.
"When the fire broke out, everyone started screaming and shouting: 'Get out, get out,'" recounted Marija Taseva, a survivor of the horrific incident.
In response to the tragedy, North Macedonia's government declared a seven-day period of mourning. The interior minister, Panche Toshkovski, revealed that the venue appeared to be operating illegally and did not possess a legal license for work.
"The most important thing is to find out all the facts and evidence necessary for the follow-up measures," Toshkovski stated.
The minister emphasized the need for calm during the investigation to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"We must remain calm while taking all these steps so that something like this doesn’t happen again," he added.
Hristijan Mickoski assured that all necessary measures would be taken to address the consequences of the disaster and determine its causes.
"All competent forces will do whatever is necessary to address the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy," Mickoski declared.
The impact of the tragedy has been profound in North Macedonia, a country still reeling from previous disasters.
"In a country as small as ours, and with the death toll likely to rise, the impact has been huge. We haven’t seen anything like this since the devastating air crashes in Macedonia in 1993. Everyone feels very emotional. They can relate to this because everyone’s kids go to nightclubs," observed Branko Gerovski.
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova expressed disbelief at the incident and called for support for those affected.
"It's hard to believe how this happened. We must give these young people courage to continue," she said.