A terrible fire broke out during a hip-hop concert at a nightclub in North Macedonia. So far, 51 people have been killed and more than 100 people have been injured. The interior minister of the Balkan country located in southeastern Europe said this on Sunday.
More than 1,000 young people attended the concert on Saturday night at the Pulse nightclub in the eastern city of Kokani. The popular hip-hop duo DNK from North Macedonia was performing there. After visiting the scene of the accident, Interior Minister Panse Tsakovski said, “According to the information we have so far, 51 people have lost their lives and more than 100 have been injured.”
Tsakovski added that the injured were taken to the local hospital in Kokani, the capital Skopje and the hospital in the city of Shtip, about 30 kilometers to the south. Helicopters were used to take the injured to hospitals in the capital Skopje.
The concert started at midnight, but local media outlet SDK reported that the fire broke out around 3am local time. Tskovski said the fire was likely caused by fireworks being used at the concert. “When the so-called sprinklers were activated, the sparks hit the roof of the club, which was made of highly flammable material. As a result, the fire spread very quickly throughout the nightclub and thick smoke was created,” he said.
Videos posted on social media before the fire broke out showed special indoor fireworks being used on stage. Other videos posted on Balkan media showed the entrance to the building blackened by the flames.
In September 2021, 14 people died in a massive fire at a unit designated for COVID-19 patients in the northwestern city of Tetovo.
Source: AFP