North Macedonia nightclub fire claims more than 50 lives in Kocani

As many as 1,500 people were attending a concert when sparks from pyrotechnics started the fire, officials say.

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The blaze broke out around 02:30 (01:30 GMT) at the Pulse club in Kocani, a town around 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, where 1,500 people were attending a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski called it a "difficult and very sad day" for the country which had lost many "young lives."

Arrest warrants have been issued for four people, interior minister Pance Toskovski said at the scene, without giving any details. He announced the arrest of a man earlier and state news agency Mia said the club owner was detained.

Toskovski has also said that, according to initial reports, the fire had been started by sparks from pyrotechnic devices that had hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70wdedp20wo

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