North Macedonia orders detention for 13 people over nightclub fire that killed 59

Emergency responders operate outside a night club, following a fire resulting in casualties, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, March 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski/File Photo

(Reuters) - Thirteen people including a former government minister were remanded in custody for 30 days in North Macedonia on Friday over a nightclub blaze, believed to have been caused by pyrotechnics, that killed 59 people including six minors.

The incident, in which another 197 people were injured, has shattered Kocani, a town of 25,000 people east of the capital Skopje.