London and Belgrade – Dozens of people are believed to have died in a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia’s southern city of Kocani, local authorities said Sunday.
Associated Press reported that 51 people were killed and at least 118 admitted to the incident with reference to Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski’s comments to journalists.
A tablet operator at Kocani General Hospital told ABC News, “It’s a disastrous tragedy.”
They did not provide additional information about the number or status of damage.
Emergency persons operate outside a nightclub after a fire that results in injuries, in the city of Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025.
OGNIA TEOFILovski/Reuters
The leader of the DNK band, which appeared at the nightclub when the fire broke out, told ABC News that the room had a maximum capacity of 500 to 700 people.
The band, which consists of eight members, appeared at the time of the fire, and some of them were among the wounded, the manager said.
As more details of the incident emerged, the families appealed to the young people who attended the concert – some of them minors – for information on social media, sharing phone numbers and personal details in the hope that they still need to be found.
Blaze began around 1 p.m. 02.35, Toshkovski said, saying that the roof of the room was set on fire by pyrotechnics used by clubs.
Toshkovski said police arrested a man but gave no further details.
This photograph shows views of a burnt -out nightclub in which a fire broke out and killed 51 people in Kocani, a city about 100 kilometers east of the capital Skopje on March 16, 2025.
Robert Atanasovski/AFP via Getty Images
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote on X, “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain that families and friends are immense.”
“The government is fully mobilized and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy,” Mickoski added. “In these times of deep sadness, when our hearts are broken by pain because of this horrible tragedy, I call for unity, solidarity, humanity and responsibility.”
Among those who offer compassion from abroad, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr was Zelenskyy. “I wish those who were injured a quick recovery,” he wrote in a post to X. “Ukraine mourns next to ours [North] Macedonian friends on this sad day. “
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his nation was ready “provide any help that may be needed.”
Europe -Commissioner for expansion of Marta Kos said on X that she was “deeply sad” of the “horrible tragedy.”
This is an evolving story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.
