Story by Bryony Gooch, The Independent | Deja Vu – Band on stage when fire started more likely from “pyrotechnics” (flares) | A devastating nightclub fire in North Macedonia has been declared one of the country’s worst tragedies in recent memory as over 50 people have died and more than 100 people have been injured.
The Pulse nightclub was engulfed with flames at 2:35am on Sunday morning in Kočani, around 100km east from the capital city of Skopje.
Footage on social media showed chaos inside the club as the band onstage urged people to get out as quickly as possible. External footage of the venue showed the growing blaze spreading to the roof.
Local authorities are investigating the venue’s licensing and safety provisions, as the government has insisted on its “moral responsibility” to help prosecute anyone responsible for the blaze.
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Go here to read more on this horrible, could-have-been-prevented tragedy:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-macedonia-fire-everything-we-know-about-nightclub-blaze-in-kocani-town/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/world/europe/north-macedonia-club-fire.html
North Macedonia is located north of Greece, east of Italy and Albania, west of Bulgaria, and south of Kosovo in South Eastern Europe.
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Fire Rips Through Overcrowded Nightclub In North Macedonia, Leaving Dozens Dead In Panicked Escape
By Konstantin Testorides and Boris Grdanoski, Associated Press
KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — A massive fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia on Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155 in a chaotic escape during a live concert. The tragedy focused national attention on corruption in the small Balkan country as authorities detained 15 people.
The death toll may rise further, with 20 of the injured remain in critical condition, according to Health Minister Arben Taravari. The government has declared seven days of national mourning.
The pre-dawn blaze in the eastern town of Kocani left mostly young people dead and injured due to burns, smoke inhalation and a stampede in the desperate effort to reach the building’s single exit, officials said. People as young as 16 were among the casualties, they said.
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Read this full story here:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/north-macedonia-nightclub-fire_n_67d6c379e4b0ae541d66e59f
Photo: (another club that was engulfed in fire from which the guests could not escape)