Fatal North Macedonia nightclub inferno sparks outrage, disbelief and calls for punishment

KOCANI, North Macedonia — As families gathered at a hospital for updates, Tomco Stojanov already knew his son’s devastating fate: 25-year-old Andrej died trying to save others in a nightclub fire that left dozens dead in North Macedonia, including many trampled during a desperate bid to escape.

“Thank you for your condolences, but my pain is incurable. The wound is incurable,” Stojanov said, holding up a photograph of his son, clean-shaven and wearing a suit jacket.

“He died while returning and entering to save other people. And he was pushed, run over, that’s how my son died.”

North Macedonia is grappling with the loss of dozens of young lives in Sunday’s nightclub inferno in the eastern town of Kocani, and trying to hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity.

Authorities were investigating allegations of bribery surrounding the fire in the nightclub, which was crammed with young revelers and at double capacity. Kocani’s mayor resigned Monday over the emerging scandal.

Fire tore through the overcrowded Club Pulse during a live concert, leaving 59 people dead and more than 150 injured from burns, smoke inhalation and being trampled in the panicked rush toward the building’s single exit.

Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the club’s ceiling and igniting the blaze as a band played.

Bribes to authorities to skip licensing requirements and skirt safety regulations are commonplace in North Macedonia, practices that have caught the attention of Western governments.

The European Union has repeatedly expressed concerns over pervasive corruption in the country, identifying it as a major obstacle to the country’s accession to the bloc.

Silent protests against corruption were held Monday in Kocani, joined by thousands of residents and separately by university students in Skopje.

“Justice is expected, that is what we all expect so that there are no such similar situations in the future,” Stavre Janev said at the Kocani protest.

The protesters' anger boiled over, with some toppling a van and smashing windows of a storefront -- both belonging to one of the club owners.

The latest in a string of deadly nightclub fires around the world, Sunday’s tragedy shook this nation of 2 million, where close-knit extended family bonds made the disaster personal to many. Clubgoers as young as 16 were among the casualties, and the nation declared seven days of mourning.

“We are all in shock, and I am shocked myself: as a mother, as a person, as a president,” North Macedonian President Gordana Davkova Siljanovska said in an address to the nation Sunday night.

Safety code violations in the club

North Macedonia’s government ordered a sweeping three-day inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets across the country, starting Monday.

State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a preliminary inspection of the Club Pulse nightclub had revealed numerous safety code violations, including a lack of emergency exits, an insufficient number of fire extinguishers and improper access for emergency vehicles.

The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris.

“The omissions are significant. I can confidently say that this is a failure of the system,” the prosecutor told reporters, also noting the lack of an overhead extinguisher system and fire alarms, and the use of flammable materials to line the inside walls.

Speaking to reporters in Skopje, Interior Minister Panche Toshevski said it appeared the club’s owners paid bribes to former officials to issue a forged license and turn a blind eye to the venue operating far beyond capacity and in violation of fire code. Former economy minister Khreshnik Beteshi was being questioned at a police station in Skopje, his lawyer Elenko Milanov told reporters.

The country was in mourning as people watched harrowing scenes in the town of 25,000 people, where rescuers for hours carried out the grim task of removing the charred bodies of clubgoers.

A state coroner said the bodies were being brought for identification in batches from morgues due to the high number of people killed.

Neighboring countries provide help

Flags around the country have been lowered to half-staff, and the death toll may rise further, with 20 of the injured in critical condition, Health Minister Arben Taravari said.

Neighboring and nearby countries -- Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey -- along with a number of others have already accepted some 50 patients with the most serious injuries, while several countries are also sending medical teams to North Macedonia, officials said.

“All patients who have been transferred abroad are currently in stable condition. We hope it stays that way and that we will receive positive news from abroad,” Taravari said.

Officials said 10 people remain in police custody for questioning in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje. Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski added that a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.

Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of the hospitalized Pope Francis.

Late Sunday, Kocani’s residents held a candlelight vigil in support of mourning families, waiting in long lines to light church candles.

Beti Delovska, an economist from Skopje, said North Macedonia has never experienced a tragedy like this, with dozens of young people vanishing in minutes. She noted that many young people with bright futures had already left the nation, in search of opportunities elsewhere.

North Macedonia “is on its death bed,” Delovska said. “We have no more credible institutions, the health system is completely dismantled, education is poor, judiciary is partisan and corrupt to the bone,” she said.

“I do believe now that only God can save (North) Macedonia.”

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By Konstantin Testorides And Florent Bajrami

Testorides reported from Skopje, North Macedonia