On Sunday, March 16, a huge fire broke out at a packed nightclub in North Macedonia, killing 59 people and leaving 155 others injured in a wild escape during a live performance.
As authorities imprisoned 15 people, the tragedy garnered international support while drawing national attention to corruption in the tiny Balkan nation.
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According to officials, the predawn fire in the eastern village of Kocani killed and injured primarily young people from burns, smoke inhalation, and a stampede during the frantic attempt to reach the building’s only exit. They reported that among the injured were people as young as 16.
Videos showed the stage’s glittering fireworks striking the ceiling, followed by scenes of mayhem inside the club, during which young people were rushing through the smoke while the performers pleaded with them to leave soon.
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After seeing a local pop trio at Club Pulse, Marija Taseva, 19, told The Associated Press, “We even tried to get out through the toilet, to find bars (on the windows),” referring to the fire that broke out. “I was able to escape somehow. After I slid down the steps, they stomped and ran over me. I could not breathe and barely survived. An injury occurred to her face.
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After seeing a local pop trio at Club Pulse, Marija Taseva, 19, told The Associated Press, “We even tried to get out through the toilet, to find bars (on the windows),” referring to the fire that broke out. “I was able to escape somehow. After I slid down the steps, they stomped and ran over me. I could not breathe and barely survived. An injury occurred to her face.
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After a preliminary examination found the club was operating without the required license, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said that 15 persons had been arrested for interrogation. According to him, there were at least twice as many people inside the club as its stated capacity of 250.
Without providing any details, he told reporters, “We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case.”
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Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission also sent supportive greetings. “I hope everyone who was hurt recovers quickly. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, “On this sad day, Ukraine prays with our (North) Macedonian friends.”
According to representatives of the Health Ministry, the government has welcomed offers of aid from a number of nearby nations, including Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Turkey, where arrangements are being prepared to accommodate patients with potentially fatal injuries. In order to support the local effort, paramedics from Serbia and Bulgaria also traveled to North Macedonia.
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In Kocani, around 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, family members gathered in front of hospitals and city offices throughout Sunday, pleading with officials for further details. It was reported to resident Dragi Stojanov that his son Tomce, age 21, had perished in the fire.
According to officials in Skopje, several of the injured were receiving treatment for serious burns and smoke inhalation in hospitals around the nation. Several volunteer organizations were supporting the initiative.
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The fire is the latest in a string of catastrophic nightclub disasters across the world and the greatest catastrophe to hit the landlocked country in recent memory. The country has a population of less than 2 million.
At a Skopje hospital, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn patients and talked to parents who were waiting outside the facility. “It’s awful… “It’s difficult to comprehend how this occurred,” she continued, her voice trailing off in grief. “We need to encourage these young people to keep going.”
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The charred remnants of wooden beams and debris were exposed as the single-story building’s roof partially collapsed due to the fire. State prosecutors were also involved in the operation, which involved police cordoning off the area and sending in teams to collect evidence.
Pyrotechnics have frequently been the cause of fatal nightclub fires, such as the 2015 Colectiv club fire in Bucharest, Romania, which claimed 64 lives.
