site.btaDeadly Nightclub Disasters across the World

A fire caused by pyrotechnics killed 59 youths in a night club in the eastern part of the Republic of North Macedonia in the night between March 15 and 16. Some 155 have various degrees of burns and injuries. Some of the injured were rushed to hospital in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkiye and Serbia. Many Balkan countries, including Bulgaria, declared a day of mourning for the fire victims.
 
Following are some of the worst nightclub fires and other disasters in Bulgaria and across the globe in the recent years.

Alcalá 20 nightclub fire, Madrid, Spain – December 17, 1983. 81 die in the fire caused by a short circuit. Some die in the flames, others of inhaling toxic fumes and still others in a smapede as people ran frantically to escape.

Flying disco fire, Saragoza, Spain, January 14, 1990. 43 die in the fire caused by an electric malfunction in the disco. 

Gothenburg disco fire, Sweden, October 29, 1998. 63 children die and 200 are injured. Most victims are migrant children from Iran, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Central and South America. There were 400 vicitors in the disco, which had a capacity for 150. Police suspected an arson.

Lobohombo explosion, Mexico, October 20, 2000. 20 are killed and over 30 are injured in the blast caused by a short circuit. An ensuing fire caused the second floor of the disco to collapse and bury visitors on the first floor.

Luoyang Christmas fire, Luoyang, Henan, China, December 26, 2000. 200 students and over 100 parents die in the fire during a student celebration. The disco had been working illegally. The fire started from a welding work that was done during a repair on the ground floor, The emergency exits were blocked by boxes with goods. 

Indigo nightclub stampede, Sofia, December 21, 2001. Seven children die and 13 are injured as they were crushed by the crowd. It was one of a traditional Friday night evening with a music gig for 12- to 18-year-olds. It later turned out that the club was functioning in violation of nearly all applicable requirements (with no building permir and permits for water supply and swerage, heating and ventilation system). 

Karaoke bar fire in Palembang, Sumatra, July 7, 2002. 53 die in the fire caused by a faulty electrical system.

Utopia nightclub fire, Lima, Peru, July 20, 2002. 30 die and 100 are injured in the blazes caused by mishandling a fire. There were some 1,000 visitors in the nightclub at the time.

Club La Guajira fire, Caracas, Venezuela, December 1, 2002. 47 die, most of them as a result of inhaling toxic fumes.

Station nightclub fire, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, US, February 20, 2003. The fire destroyed nightclub and killed 100 people. 160 were injured. The fire was caused by a pyrotechnics show during a concert.

Shopping center fire, Asunción, Paraguay, August 1, 2004. Over 350 die when a fire breaks out at a shopping mall. The blaze is caused by a buildup of cooking grease in an uncleaned chimney, ignited during high-temperature grilling in a restaurant.

Republica Cromanon nightclub fire, Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 31, 2004. 194 die and over 700 are injured when hooligans ignite a flare in a crowded nightclub. Emergency exits are blocked at the time.

Nightclub fire, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, September 21, 2008. 43 die and 88 are injured in a blaze caused by fireworks.

Santika nightclub fire, Bangkok, Thailand, January 1, 2009. 64 die and over 200 are injured in a New Year’s Eve fire sparked by faulty fireworks.

Lame Horse nightclub fire, Perm, Russia, December 4, 2009. 103 die and over 130 are injured after fireworks or an electrical fault triggers a blaze inside the venue.

Kiss nightclub fire, Santa Maria, Brazil, January 27, 2013. 237 die in a fire caused by indoor fireworks.

Colectiv nightclub fire, Bucharest, Romania, October 30, 2015. 64 die and around 200 are injured after fireworks ignite flammable soundproofing. The venue was overcrowded.

Ghost Ship warehouse fire, Oakland, California, USA, December 2, 2016. 36 die during a party in a warehouse filled with clutter and lacking proper emergency exits.

Liv's Nightclub fire, Yaounde, Cameroon, January 22, 2022. At least 16 die and 8 are seriously injured due to fireworks.

Polygon nightclub fire, Kostroma, Russia, November 5, 2022. 15 die when a flare gun is fired inside the club, causing a fire that collapses the roof.

Teatre and Fonda Milagros nightclub fire, Murcia, Spain, October 1, 2023. 13 die and 4 are hospitalized after a fire spreads between nightclubs. One venue had been ordered closed prior to the incident.

Masquerade nightclub fire, Istanbul, Turkiye, April 2, 2024. 29 die during renovation works in the nightclub which is located in a residential building.