
At least 59 people have died in the late hours of the night in the eastern North Macedonian city of Kocani, as a result of a fire in a nightclub.
The number of injured so far is 152, some of whom have been transferred from Kocani to clinics in Shtip and Skopje.
Of the total number of hospitalized patients, 18 patients are in critical condition, three of whom are in the Pediatric Surgery Department, seven in the City General Hospital and three in the Old City Hospital.
Authorities have not yet said how the fire spread or what caused it.
According to local media, the fire was spread by pyrotechnics used during a performance by the famous Macedonian band DNA. At the time of the explosion and spread of the fire, the club was filled with teenagers and young people.
Local media reported that after the fire broke out, firefighters, ambulances, and police officers arrived at the scene.
So far, there is no information that there are Albanians involved in the serious incident.
Kočani is located in the eastern part of North Macedonia and is about 62 miles east of Skopje, the capital. The latest 2021 census showed that about 24,600 people live there.