Teen Survives Escape from Deadly Nightclub Fire That Killed 59, Including Her Sister: ‘I Was Saved and She Wasn’t’

Following the deadly nightclub fire in North Macedonia, which killed 59 people and injured over 150 others, a young woman recalled her harrowing escape.

Around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 16, a fire broke out at the Pulse club in the eastern town of Kočani, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski announced at a news conference shared by local outlet MIA News.

The fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics that were used during a concert inside the nightclub, where a local pop group performed, the minister confirmed, according to North Macedonian newspaper Večer as well as the Associated Press.

Marija Taseva, who sustained an injury to the left side of her face but survived both the fire and the stampede that followed, said that she was with her sister, who died.

“We even tried to get out through the bathroom, only to find bars (on the windows),” Taseva, 19, told the AP. “I somehow managed to get out.”

“I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me,” she continued. “I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.”

Although she did not share many additional details, according to the BBC she said her sister did not manage to make it to safety. “My sister died,” she said. “I was saved and she wasn’t.”

A government spokesperson previously told PEOPLE in a statement that the 59 people killed included “three minors and one police officer.”

Professional soccer player Andrej Lazarov, 25, also died in the blaze, his team confirmed in a message on Facebook.

“Like the heroic spirit he was, Lazarov lost his life trying to help others escape the fire-torn environment. He was poisoned by smoke during his attempts to save lives, showing courage and humanity until the very last moment,” the post read. “His heroic act will always remain in our memories, as a testament to his noble character and his big heart.”

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Outside a hospital, Lazarov’s father Tomco Stojanov mourned his son as other families awaited news of their loved ones.

“Thank you for your condolences, but my pain is incurable,” Stojanov said, “The wound is incurable.”