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More than 100 people injured in the deadly fire at at the nightclub in Kocani – about 100km east of the capital, Skopje.

At least 51 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a devastating fire at a packed nightclub in Kocani in North Macedonia, according to Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski.

The blaze erupted at about 3am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday during a concert by the band DNA when pyrotechnics were set off inside the venue in Kocani, located about 100km (62 miles) east of the capital, Skopje.

“Sparks caused fire … and fire spread through the discotheque,” Toskovski, the interior minister, said on Sunday, confirming that the blaze was caused by “pyrotechnic devices” used during the concert.

A video from the event, verified by Reuters, shows a band playing on stage flanked by two flares firing white sparks into the air. The sparks set the ceiling alight above the band, who appear to step away as the video cuts.

Social media videos show the building completely engulfed in flames, with thick plumes of smoke rising into the night sky.

Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entrance to the club, named ‘Pulse,’ TV footage from a local broadcaster showed.

‘A huge tragedy’

Al Jazeera’s Maja Blajevska, reporting from Kocani, said people here are saying this is a huge tragedy for this small town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, but also a huge tragedy for the whole country.

“Here, on the side of the road, many parents are still searching for their children,” she said.

North Macedonia’s MRT public broadcaster reported that 27 people were hospitalised at the Skopje City Hospital with severe burns, and another 23 were being treated at the Clinical Center. Among the injured were minors, it said.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in a post on Facebook: “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”

“I call on all competent institutions – health services, relevant authorities – to take urgent measures to assist the injured and support the families of the families.”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said emergency services and a public prosecutor from Kocani’s Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office were at the scene.

“The number of victims and injured is still being determined. All resources and capacities of the prosecution offices will be mobilised to support the Kocani prosecution in its urgent response,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.