Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 59 in North Macedonia

At least 59 people were killed and 155 others were injured when a fire broke out overnight in a nightclub in North Macedonia, the country’s interior minister, Panche Toshkovski, said on Sunday. The blaze — the deadliest national tragedy in recent memory — has horrified the small country in southeastern Europe.

“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote on X. He called it “a difficult and very sad day” for North Macedonia.

Mr. Toshkovski told reporters that arrest warrants had been issued for four people in connection with the blaze.

The fire occurred during a pop concert at the club in the eastern town of Kocani, Mr. Toshkovski told reporters. Fireworks had been set off, causing the roof to catch fire, he said.

One police officer died while on duty inside the club to check for drugs or underage guests, he added. Officials have identified 35 of the dead, 31 of whom were from Kocani.

Angela Aggeler, the American ambassador to the country, wrote on X“My heart breaks this morning for the many victims in last night’s fire at a nightclub in Kochani.” She added, “The loss of so many young lives in one community is a terrible tragedy.”

North Macedonia, a small country of about two million people, is nestled between Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Serbia. The town where the blaze occurred is about 50 miles east of the capital, Skopje.

For many, the blaze brought up painful memories of a fire at a North Macedonian hospital for coronavirus patients in 2021. At least 14 people died in that fire at a mobile hotel, which happened in Tetovo, in the country’s northwest.

This weekend’s fire is one of several recent infernos in nightclubs. In 2024, at least 29 people were killed in a club fire in Istanbul. In 2023, 13 people were killed when a club complex caught fire in Spain. A 2015 fire killed at least 27 people in Romania, and a 2013 fire killed at least 233 people in Brazil.

In Kocani, the death toll may still rise: Arben Taravari, the health minister, told reporters that 20 people were in critical condition.

Ognen Cancarevik, a reporter for Telma, a national television station, called the episode “a terrible tragedy.”

“People are shocked,” he said in a phone interview. “People are angry. People want answers, and people want to know who is responsible.”

Kocani is a small town, he said, and many people in the region work in agriculture. Young people often leave the country to look for work or higher salaries abroad, he said, and many Macedonians are frustrated by low salaries and corruption.

“The morale is low,” Mr. Cancarevik said. “The last thing we need is a tragedy of this scale where young and innocent kids die.”