Four arrest warrants have been issued after a nightclub fire killed at least 59 people in North Macedonia.
Authorities said 155 others were injured after the blaze broke out at Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani at around 2.35am on Sunday.
The fire erupted while local band DNK was performing. Thirty-nine of the fatalities have been identified so far, interior minister Panche Toshkovski said.
Fireworks were set off inside the venue, causing the roof to catch fire, according to reports.
Video from inside showed the band playing on stage before two flares went off either side of them and shot towards the ceiling.
Some of the injured are being treated at Kocani General Hospital, where relatives have gathered desperate for more information, newspaper Nova Makedonija said.
Broadcaster MRT reported that 27 people were being treated for severe burns at Skopje City Hospital, with another 23 at the Clinical Centre.
‘This was my only child’
Dragi Stojanov’s only son Tomce died in the fire.
“It’s my only child and he died,” he told reporters at the scene. “What am I supposed to do?”
He said he had been there “all night” and that “they can’t even get bodies out”, with “200 people” still inside.
“This was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. I don’t need my life,” he told the media.
A woman who was in the nightclub when the fire broke out suffered an injured ear and knee, and her sister is still missing.
“The fire broke out suddenly and everyone started running for the exit,” the unnamed survivor said.
“There were charred bodies. I don’t know… everyone is stressed.
“My sister is missing, we were unable to find her in the hospitals, so now we’re waiting here, to find out if she’s here.”
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North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski described the deadly incident as a “difficult and very sad day for Macedonia”.
“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” he wrote in a post on X.
He promised the government would do “everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain”.
Police and forensic investigators cordoned off the scene on Sunday, with authorities saying evidence would be collected for state prosecutors.
The US ambassador to North Macedonia Angela Aggeler also posted on X, saying her “heart breaks this morning for the many victims in last night’s fire at a nightclub in Kochani”.
“Our deepest condolences go to the victims and their loved ones at this awful time, and wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” she said.
Various leaders offered their condolences, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our North Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Mr Zelenskyy wrote on X.
