At least 59 people lost their lives in the early hours of Saturday morning in the eastern town of Kočani, North Macedonia, as a result of a fire that broke out during a concert attended by more than 500 people at a nightclub. So far, 35 victims have been identified – 31 from Kočani and 4 from Štip.
Over 155 people have been hospitalized, mostly in hospitals in Skopje.
The government has declared seven days of mourning.
Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has stated that the venue where the tragedy occurred had a forged license, which was issued in March of the previous year.
He has warned of criminal liability for all those involved.
Macedonian Interior Minister Panče Toshkovski said that, according to the information received, the fire broke out due to the use of pyrotechnic devices for lighting effects during the concert of the band ADN.
The Ministry of Interior, in coordination with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, has reported that 20 people are suspected, 15 of whom are in police custody.
Among the deceased is a police officer who was part of the operation to conduct checks on nightclubs and hospitality businesses in various locations across North Macedonia.
