North Macedonia: Dozens killed in nightclub fire
March 16, 2025
The death toll from a fire in a nightclub in the North Macedonian town of Kocani early on Sunday morning has risen to at least 59, with dozens more injured.
More than a thousand mostly young people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when the fire broke out, the state news agency MIA reported.
Kocani is located some 100 km (60 miles) to the east of the capital, Skopje, and has a population of around 30,000.
What do we know about the fire?
"According to the information that we have there are 59 persons deceased, of which 35 are identified," Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said at the scene in Kocani.
He said 155 people had been wounded and four arrested in connection with the incident, updating an earlier figure of just one.
He said previously that the fire had been started by pyrotechnics used by clubgoers.
According to online media outlet SDK, the fire started at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT).
It cited rescue sources as saying more than 100 people were also injured in the blaze.
Local media said the blaze quickly spread to the ceiling and roof of the club, identified by MIA as the "Pulse" discotheque.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people had been hospitalized, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.
Accusations of disregard for building regulations
According to the head of DW's Macedonian Service in Skopje, Boris Georgievski, many people have now said on social media that the catastrophe was just waiting to happen, accusing authorities and companies of largely disregarding construction regulations in North Macedonia.
He said the building in which the "Pulse" discotheque in Kocani operated was a very old structure and obviously completely unsuitable for such a purpose.
Previously, the building, located near a residential building in Kocani, was a carpet warehouse, he said, adding that despite this, the building had received a permit from the municipality to be a discotheque.
Later on Sunday, the country's interior minister announced that authorities were looking into a possible case of corruption.
"This company does not have a legal license for work," Toskovski told reporters at a press conference in Kocani, referring to the nightclub where the fire broke out.
"This license, as many other things in Macedonia in the past, is connected with bribery and corruption," he said.
What has the reaction been?
North Macedonia's prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was "a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia."
"The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable," he wrote, adding: "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."
Pope Francis, who remains in hospital after suffering double pneumonia, sent a message of condolence to victims and survivors of the fire in a messaged conveyed by the Vatican's secretary of state.
Francis wished "to convey to the families of the dead, mostly young people, the expression of his deep condolence, signifying spiritual closeness to the wounded," wrote Pietro Parolin in a telegram addressed to the bishop of Skopje, Kiro Stojanov.
Edited by: Kieran Burke