Deadly blaze leaves North Macedonia in mourning

KOCANI, North Macedonia — After North Macedonia's deadliest tragedy in recent memory, with dozens dying in a nightclub inferno, the Balkan nation is struggling to grapple with so many young lives lost while trying to hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity.

The fire tore through the overcrowded nightclub early on 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.

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 Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said in an address to the nation on Sunday.

"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 deadly nightclub fire around the world.

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 on Monday.

Harrowing scenes

The country was in mourning as people watched harrowing scenes in the town of 25,000, 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 to the west, for updates about the injured. Many of the most seriously injured were receiving treatment in Greece and other neighboring countries.

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.

Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said 15 people had been detained for questioning after a preliminary inspection revealed that 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.

Agencies via Xinhua