Officials Confirm Death Toll of At Least 51 in North Macedonia Nightclub Tragedy

Tragic Nightclub Fire in North Macedonia

According to officials, at least 51 people have lost their lives, and over 100 sustained injuries in a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia.

The blaze broke out at 3 a.m. this morning (March 16) at Pulse Club in Kokan, a small town with approximately 30,000 residents, located about 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje.

The state news agency reported that around 1,500 people were attending the DNK DNK DNK concert. MiaField.

Mia mentioned, “at least 50 people died in a disco in Kochani,” where “approximately 1,500 people attended a concert.”

Details of the Incident

The concert commenced at midnight on Saturday (March 15) and primarily attracted a young audience, as noted by KeeperField.

Injured concert-goers were transported either to a local hospital in Kochani, which initially reported treating 90 individuals (BBC News), or to a facility approximately 20 miles to the south. Many suffered severe burns and were later moved to hospitals in Skopje for further treatment.

Videos shared on social media show the band performing on stage when two pyrotechnic outbreaks occurred, igniting sparks that reached the ceiling and quickly spread the flames. Other circulating clips illustrate the building engulfed in fire.

Official Responses and Investigation

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Pande Toskovsky, suggested that the fire was likely triggered by pyrotechnic devices intended for light effects at the concert.

Toskovski informed reporters outside the Kocani police station that the pyrotechnics caused sparks to ignite the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, allowing the fire to spread rapidly throughout the club.

“Currently, the activation of the so-called sprayers caused sparks to come into contact with the ceiling made of easily ignitable material, leading to the fire spreading swiftly through the disco and creating thick smoke,” he stated to journalists on-site, mentioning that some arrests have been made.

Prime Minister Christijan Mikoski expressed on Facebook that the government is “fully mobilized and will do everything necessary to address the consequences and investigate the causes of this tragedy.”

He described the day as “difficult and very sad” for the country, which has now lost “so many” young lives.