More than 20 of the victims in the fire at the Kochani disco last night are minors, said the Minister of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia, Pance Toshkovski, at a press conference broadcast by the MIA agency, quoted by BTA.
A total of 59 people died and 155 were injured last night at the Pulse disco in Kochani in a fire that broke out during a concert by the popular band DNA. According to initial reports, the fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics used for lighting effects at the concert.
A total of 22 people are in critical condition, some of whom will be sent for treatment in Turkey and Bulgaria, Toshkovski said.
According to information from the Minister of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia Arben Taravari at a press conference broadcast by MIA, a total of 117 of the injured have been admitted for treatment in the country, while another 13 have been transported to Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. He added that more injured will be sent for treatment to the same countries.
According to information from the Director of the Health Insurance Fund Sasho Klekovski to MIA, of the injured in the fire who are being treated abroad, three have been transported for treatment in Thessaloniki, and another 8 – in Bulgaria.
Interior Minister Pance Toshkovski added that there are more than 20 suspects in the case, and 15 of them have been summoned to the police for questioning.
He also said that four of the people wanted in connection with the fire were found in clinics, including two members of the "DNA" group, the son of the disco owner and the manager of the nightclub. So far, people who were among the organizers of the event, as well as those who were related to it, have been arrested.
According to the data presented by Toshkovski, the tickets sold for the "DNA" concert were 250, but it is not clear exactly how many people were in the disco.
"There must be and there will be responsibility", said the country's interior minister, adding that work to clarify the case continues.
Toshkovski expressed the opinion that the license with which the disco in Kochani operated is fake.
Meanwhile, at an extraordinary meeting of the municipal council, the Kochani municipality declared seven days of mourning for the fire in the disco.