59 dead and over 150 injured in nightclub fire

This past weekend, a tragedy occurred in a nightclub in Kočani, a city in the east of North Macedonia.

A fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the nightclub 'Club Pulse', which at the time was quite full of party-goers. Approximately 1,500 people were present when the flames spread through the club.

As many as 59 people lost their lives, and more than 150 others were injured by the fire and smoke. The victims were reported to be between the ages of 14 and 24.

According to the North Macedonian Minister of Internal Affairs Panche Toshkovski, the fire was caused by the pyrotechnic installations (including fireworks) in the nightclub. Sparks from the stage may have started a small fire on the roof, which was made of "highly flammable material."

(FVDV - Source: Eurovision news / VRT NWS - Illustration: Unsplash)