Marija Taseva was enjoying a night out with her sister at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when the tragedy occurred.
They were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when the fire broke out, killing at least 59 people, while 155 others were injured, some in critical condition.
"Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told Reuters.
People desperately tried to escape the flames, but there was only one exit for about 500 people because the only other door at the back of the bar was closed.
“I don't know how but I ended up on the ground, I couldn't get up and at that moment people started stepping on me,” Marija said. She managed to get out, but her sister didn't.
"My sister died, I was saved, but she wasn't."
Many people are angry and demanding answers, like Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child, aged 21.
"Let me tell you in front of everyone. Film me. I am a dead man, I have lost everything...all of Europe should know. After this tragedy, what do I need this life for, I don't need it. I had a child and I lost it," he told reporters.
"Most of the dead suffered injuries from the chaos that occurred as the panicked crowd tried to get out," the head of Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters.
“70 of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning,” she said. “Most of them have burn injuries, over 18% of the body surface, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, torso and upper limbs - hands and fingers,” said Vladislav Gruev, a surgeon.
Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov said most of those who died were young. "Inside where they are identifying the victims, the situation is much worse. You see that even the parents are quite young, around 40. Their children are 18 or 20 years old.
"The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad and unfortunately many young lives have been lost."
A man whose grandson was injured in the fire said some people have not been able to find their children.
Police have arrested 15 people, while Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said there are "grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption" linked to the fire.
The fire started around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday when sparks from pyrotechnic devices hit the ceiling, which was made of materials that caught fire instantly.
Described as a "makeshift nightclub" by the local press, the building had no legal license. It was previously a carpet warehouse and police are investigating.
The President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said that responsibility must be held for the tragedy.
The young men with serious injuries have been sent for treatment to specialized clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey.
The government has declared seven days of national mourning and will hold an emergency session as part of the ongoing investigation into how the incident occurred.
Sources: Associated Press, BBC
