Nightclub fire in North Macedonia

[Anchor]

A major disaster with 51 deaths.

We turn to our correspondent Lee Hwa-jin for the report on the fire that broke out at a nightclub in North Macedonia.

[Report]

As the band performs passionately on stage, colorful fireworks are launched around them.

The sparks shoot up high to the ceiling, and the fire begins to spread.

In the sudden chaos, the music stops, and attempts are made to spray fire extinguishing liquid, but the fire quickly engulfed the entire nightclub, including the stage.

The large fire that broke out at a nightclub in the small town of Kočani, North Macedonia, around 2:30 AM local time on Sunday has resulted in 51 deaths.

More than 100 people were injured and transported to hospitals.

At the time of the incident, about 1,500 audience members and performance staff were gathered inside the nightclub, which exacerbated the damage.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, who visited the accident site, stated, "The fire originated from a pyrotechnic device used for lighting effects during the performance," and explained, "The flames reached the flammable material of the ceiling."

Local police in North Macedonia have arrested one male suspect and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

The European Union and neighboring countries, including Albania, have expressed their condolences to North Macedonia.

This is Lee Hwa-jin reporting for KBS News from Paris.