Deadly nightclub blaze leaves North Macedonia in grief and desperate for
accountability
[March 17, 2025]
By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES and IVANA BZGANOVIC
KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia is grappling with the
loss of dozens of young lives in a nightclub inferno, while trying to
hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity.
Fire tore through the overcrowded Club Pulse early Sunday in the eastern
town of Kocani, leaving 59 people dead and 155 injured from burns, smoke
inhalation and being trampled in the panicked escape toward the
building’s single exit.
Although the investigation into the fire’s cause is ongoing, videos
showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting Club Pulse’s ceiling
and igniting the blaze as a band played.
People 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.
“I still cannot believe that the terrible tragedy in Kocani is a
reality. I do not know with what words to express my condolences to the
parents and loved ones of the deceased,” she said. “No one responsible
should escape the law, justice and punishment! Let us not allow anyone
to endanger the lives of innocent people anymore.”
The fire that shook the nation of 2 million — where close-knit extended
family bonds made the disaster personal to many — was the latest in a
string of deadly nightclub fires around the world.
Allegation of bribery surrounding nightclub
Authorities say they are investigating allegations of bribery
surrounding the nightclub that was crammed with young revelers and at
double capacity. And North Macedonia’s government ordered a sweeping
three-day inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets
across the country, starting Monday.
The country was in mourning as people watched harrowing scenes in the
town of 25,000 people, where rescuers for hours carried out their grim
task of removing the charred bodies of clubgoers.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially
collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris.
Anxious parents gathered outside hospitals in Kocani and the capital
Skopje, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) west, for updates about the
injured.
Waiting outside the hospital in Kocani, Dragi Stojanov was among those
who received the dreaded news that his 21-year-old son Tomce had
perished.
“He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore. ... 150 families
have been devastated,” he told reporters. “Children burnt beyond
recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club). ... And
the bosses (of organized crime), just putting money into their pockets.”
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 —
have already accepted many of those with the most serious injuries,
while the government was in talks with several other countries to expand
the hospital transfers, officials said.
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A man cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North
Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the
nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
“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 Monday, noting that
several countries are also sending medical teams to North Macedonia.
Safety code violations in the club
“We even tried to get out through the bathroom, only to find bars
(on the windows),” 19-year-old Marija Taseva told The Associated
Press. “I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and
they ran over me, trampled me. ... I barely stayed alive and could
hardly breathe.” She suffered an injury to her face.
A state prosecutor said a preliminary inspection of the 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, among others.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said 15 people had been detained
for questioning after 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.
“We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption
in this case,” he told reporters without elaborating.
Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the
office of the hospitalized Pope Francis.
“I have had many difficult moments and challenges in my life but
today is by far the most difficult day of my life,” Prime Minister
Hristijan Mickoski said in a televised address. “My heart is
breaking, and I have no strength to speak today. I am broken and my
spirit is broken."
Late Sunday, Kocani's residents held a candlelight vigil in support
for 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. And 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 corrupted
to the bone. … I do believe now that only God can save (North)
Macedonia.”
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Testorides reported from Skopje, North Macedonia
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