Death toll from North Macedonia nightclub fire rises to 59
Newshour
BBC
4.4 • 984 Ratings
🗓️ 16 March 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Officials say more than 155 have been injured in the blaze, which broke out at the Pulse club in Kočani, a town around 100km east of the capital, Skopje. We speak to a surgeon treating some of those injured, and a spokesperson for the State Public Prosecutors Office about the status of the investigation into the fire.
Also on the programme: A significant conflict in the Middle East seems to be on the verge of dramatic escalation, following US airstrikes on Yemen, which are thought to have killed around 30 people; and we hear about a new soap opera "Beyond the Gate", the first daytime soap with a predominantly black cast to feature on network TV.
(Photo: A woman cries as people light candles in memory of the victims of a fire in a night club in the town of Kočani, North Macedonia on March 16, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, welcome to the program. This is News Hour from the BBC World Service coming to you live |
| 0:08.2 | from London. I'm Paul Henley. The president of North Macedonia, north of Greece, has expressed her shock |
| 0:15.1 | at the deaths of at least 59 people in a fire at a nightclub. Arrest warrants have been issued for four people after what happened in Kachani. |
| 0:23.8 | The fire is thought to have been started by fireworks. |
| 0:32.8 | That sound is from mobile phone footage, taken from what looks like the front row of the audience |
| 0:37.8 | showing a band singing while fireworks meant to enhance the show go off in front of them. Sparks |
| 0:43.8 | quickly ignite part of a low ceiling above the band and the flames spread quickly. This was North |
| 0:49.6 | Macedonia's interior minister, Panche Toskovsky, speaking earlier. |
| 0:53.7 | The fire was as a result of the ice kre, only as Interior Minister, Panche Toskovsky, speaking earlier. |
| 1:02.8 | The fire was caused by parrotechnics used for lighting effects at the concert and activated the sprinklers. |
| 1:05.2 | Most likely sparks caught a part of the ceiling that was made of flammable material, |
| 1:09.7 | causing the fire to spread to the |
| 1:11.2 | entire discotheque in a short period of time, creating thick smoke. |
| 1:15.4 | Maria Taseva was at the venue in Cocherni. She lost her sister in the fire. |
| 1:21.6 | The fire broke out. Everyone started screaming and shouting, get out, get out. But unfortunately, |
| 1:27.3 | there was only one exit. |
| 1:28.8 | Then everyone started pushing each other, so I headed for the exit. I don't know how, but I ended up on the ground. |
| 1:34.9 | I couldn't get up. And at that moment, people started stomping on me. I don't know how. But somehow I managed to get out. |
| 1:41.6 | This is Simeon Sokolov. His daughter was injured. She's here in the hospital |
| 1:46.5 | in Skopje. She was some hours ago in Stip. She has burns and also smoke inhalation. And she is here |
| 1:54.7 | to be treated by respirator. She's in a stable condition. That's what we can say now. |
| 2:03.0 | What matters is that she's alive. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.