By Fatos Bytyci and Aleksandar Vasovic
(Reuters) -Fire ripped through a packed and unlicensed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, officials said, after sparks ignited the roof as a live band performed.
Hundreds of people scrambled for the small venue’s only exit as the fire spread across the ceiling, leaving many trapped in the country’s deadliest incident in years.
One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed the moment the fire began: as the band played on stage, two flares spat white sparks into the air, setting a patch of ceiling alight. Seconds later, the panic began.
"Fire broke out, everyone started screaming and shouting: ’Get out, get out’," Marija Taseva, 22, told Reuters.
As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod on her, injuring her face. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who did not make it out.
"My sister died," Taseva said, breaking into tears.
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 valid licence, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski told a press conference.
More than 20 of the injured and three of those killed were aged under 18, he said.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the licence was issued illegally by the economy ministry and promised those responsible would face justice.
"Regardless of who they are, from which institution, from what level, from which party and profession," Mickoski said. He declared seven days of national mourning.
The fire began at around 3 a.m. (0200 GMT). About 500 people were in the club at the time, authorities said.
Reuters pictures showed the club’s corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened.
More than 150 people were hospitalized in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said, adding that 20 people were critically injured.
People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country.
Outside the main hospital in Kocani, relatives and friends of the victims hugged each other and lit candles. Anger and grief spilled over.
"I’m a dead man, I lost everything. They should film me, the whole of Europe should know," said one man.
"(I knew) 5 or 6, one of those was killed," said Kocani resident Mihail Gavrilov. "It’s devastating for the entire city and the entire country."
Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija in 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 transferred to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said.
Condolences flooded in from global leaders, including EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Pope Francis.
INVESTIGATION
North Macedonia’s Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said five prosecutors would investigate the incident.
"At the moment, orders have been issued to collect evidence" and people were being interviewed, Kocevski said, without elaborating.
Toskovski said authorities had arrested members of the band, the son of the club owner and government officials.
After visiting the injured in a hospital in Skopje, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, dressed in black and fighting tears, said authorities would do everything to help all those affected.
"I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy."