Fire ripped through a packed nightclub early in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, after sparks ignited the roof over a live band.
Authorities arrested about 20 people in connection with the fire, including government officials and the manager of the Pulse nightclub, which did not have a legitimate licence, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski told a press conference.
State news agency Mia said that police have detained the owner of the club over the incident.
Authorities were investigating whether "corruption" and "bribery" were linked to the fire, Mr Toskovski said.
"This company does not have a legal license for work," he told, referring to the nightclub.
"This license, as many other things in Macedonia in the past, is connected with bribery and corruption," he said at a press conference in Kocani, a small town in the east of the Balkan country, where the tragedy occurred during a concert.
One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed a band playing on stage flanked by two flares, the white sparks of which set the ceiling alight.
Friends and family were separated in a panicked rush to the exits.
"Everyone was trying to save themselves," survivor Marija Taseva, 22, told local TV 5.
As she tried to escape, Ms Taseva fell to the ground and people stepped over her, leaving her with an injury on her cheek. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who is still missing.
"We can't find her in any hospital," she said.
Mr Toskovski confirmed that the fire, which began at around 3am (2am Irish time), was caused by "pyrotechnic devices" whose sparks triggered the blaze.
About 148 people were hospitalised in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said at a press conference. Eighteen people were critically injured, Mr Taravari added.
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North Macedonia's MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalised at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Centre. Among the injured were minors, it said.
People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country.
Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija at the emergency ward of the September 8 hospital in the capital Skopje, where she was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
"I just know that there are many children who have suffered," he told Reuters. "Doctors are doing their job and the number is big."
Some patients were flown to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said.
North Macedonia's Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said five prosecutors would investigate the incident.
"At the moment, orders have been issued for collecting of evidence" and some people were being interviewed, Mr Kocevski said, without elaborating.
Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entrance to the "Pulse" nightclub before dawn as ambulances rushed from the scene, TV footage from a local broadcaster showed.
Pictures showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened.
My thoughts are with the people of North Macedonia following the devastating nightclub fire in Kocani overnight.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) March 16, 2025
Deepest condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives. I also wish all those injured a full recovery.
North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Facebook: "This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable."
After visiting the injured in a hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, dressed in black and fighting tears, said authorities were ready to do everything to help all affected.
"I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy."
