North Macedonia Grieves After Tragic Nightclub Fire
Marija Taseva was out with her sister at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, when a devastating fire erupted. The club was hosting a performance by DNK, a well-known hip-hop duo, when the blaze claimed at least 59 lives and left 155 injured.
"People were screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old recounted. With only one accessible exit for about 500 attendees, chaos ensued as the other door was locked. "I ended up on the ground and was trampled," Taseva said. She managed to escape, but tragically, her sister did not survive. "My sister died. I was saved, and she wasn't."
Authorities have detained 15 individuals, including the club owner and former officials. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski cited potential corruption linked to the incident. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski promised strict accountability, irrespective of political ties.
The fire ignited around 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday when pyrotechnic sparks hit a flammable ceiling. The venue, described as an "improvised nightclub," lacked a legal operating license and had previously been a carpet warehouse. Investigations are ongoing.
Kristina Serafimovska, head of the Kocani hospital, reported that most fatalities were due to the stampede during the panic. "Seventy patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she noted. Vladislav Gruev, a reconstructive surgery specialist, is treating survivors with severe burns.
Inspections revealed several safety violations, including inadequate fire-extinguishing and lighting systems, according to public prosecutor's office spokesperson Biljana Arsovska. Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov highlighted the youth of many victims, with parents also being relatively young.
Amidst the grief, some families are still searching for their loved ones. Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child, expressed his devastation publicly. "I am a dead man, I lost everything," he lamented.
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova emphasized the need for accountability, stating, "No one responsible should escape justice." The most critically injured are receiving treatment in neighboring countries, and the government has declared a week of national mourning while continuing investigations.