The China Mail - Hip-hop gig blaze kills 51 at North Macedonia nightclub

More than 100 people were injured in the fire in the Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani, with some taken by helicopter to hospitals and clinics in the capital Skopje, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) away by air, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said.

The establishment had been packed with more than 1,000 mostly young fans to see a popular hip-hop duo called DNK when the fire started around 3 am (0200 GMT), local media reported.

Toskovski said the fire was probably caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices "used for light effect at the concert".

As they were set off, "the sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke," he said.

Toskovski visited the site of the tragedy early Sunday with the Balkan country's prime minister, Hristijan Mickoski.

"This is a difficult and very sad day" for the country, Mickoski wrote on his Facebook account.

The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the grief of their families, their loved ones and their friends is immeasurable," he said.

"The people and the government will do everything in their power to soften their grief and help them in this very difficult time."

Videos posted on social networks and shot before the fire showed the use of "stage fountains", which are a type of indoor fireworks used during performances.

Other videos published by media showed huge flames emerging from the building, a two-storey white structure in Kocani, a town with 30,000 residents.

- 'Human tragedy' -

An AFP photographer in the town saw military medical vehicles arrive to reinforce staff at the local hospital tending to some of the injured.

"According to the data we have by now, 51 people lost their lives," Toskovski said after visiting the scene.

"More than 100 persons are injured," Toskovski added.

Leaders of neighbouring countries offered help.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov spoke on Facebook of the fire being "a huge human tragedy" and offered to have his air force fly some of those injured to medical facilities in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and the city of Varna.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X, formerly Twitter, that he sent "heartfelt condolences to the people of North Macedonia for the lives lost in the tragic fire".

"Greece stands ready to assist in this difficult time," he added.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was "at a loss for words" and expressed readiness "to provide any assistance that may be needed".

There were also messages from parts of the European Union, which North Macedonia has ambitions to join.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on X that she was "deeply saddened about the tragic fire" and that "the EU shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Bluesky that "the news of the terrible fire... is shocking. People who wanted to celebrate carefreely were brutally torn from life." She wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

T.Wu--ThChM