Fire in North Macedonian Club Pulse Kills at Least 59

Police in Kočani, North Macedonia have arrested 15 people in connection with a deadly ceiling fire at Club Pulse, an unlicensed venue.

At least 59 are dead and 155 estimated to be injured after a blaze swept across the ceiling at Club Pulse, a nightclub operating without permits in Kočani, North Macedonia in the early hours of Sunday, March 17.

Interior Minister Pance Toskovski has said that the fire broke out at 2:30am while 500 people had gathered for a performance by local hip-hop group DNK. It was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics devices coming in contact with the venue’s flammable ceiling, while its single exit prolonged efforts to evacuate.

Authorities have arrested at least 15 people for questioning as Toskovski said there are “grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption” in connection with the incident.

DNK keyboard player Filip Stevanovski, drummer Gjorgji Gjorgiev, and singers Sara Projkovska and Andrej Gjorgieski all died in the fire, with the lattermost member having run back into the venue to attempt to save young fans, his manager told The Independent. Only one member of the group reportedly survived and is currently in the hospital.

An attendee named Marija Taseva told Reuters that she was trampled in a crowd rush toward the exit after the fire broke out. While she said that she “somehow managed to get out,” she tearfully recounted learning later that her sister passed away.

A Kočani local named Dragi Stojanov learned that his son died in the Club Pulse fire while awaiting updates at a local hospital. He told CBS News, “He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. One hundred and fifty families have been devastated.”

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said it was a “difficult and very sad day” for North Macedonia, where a seven-day period of mourning has been announced in light of the incident.