The blaze broke out around 2:30 a.m. local time during a concert by a local pop group at Club Pulse, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. Officials said 39 of the dead had so far been identified, adding that 18 of those injured were in critical condition.

Toshkovski said following an initial assessment that pyrotechnics likely caused the roof to catch fire. Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the ceiling followed by scenes of chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.

Throughout Sunday, relatives gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometres (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, begging authorities for more information. Local resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.

"He was my only child. I don't need my life anymore... 150 families have been devastated," he said. "Children burnt beyond recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club)." (Jamaica Gleaner)