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North Macedonia mourns 59 young people who lost their lives in a nightclub fire! What is known so far about the Kocani tragedy!
2025-03-17 11:40:06 / BOTA
A day after the tragedy in Kocani, the citizens of North Macedonia mourn the 59 young people who tragically lost their lives in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning in a nightclub in Kocani.
Citizens of North Macedonia woke up today to begin a week-long period of national mourning, local media reported.
At least 59 people were killed and 155 others injured when a fire broke out during a concert in the eastern North Macedonian town of Kocani in the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.
Meanwhile, authorities have promised a swift and thorough investigation, and have detained dozens of suspects in connection with the fire, including government officials.
What happened at the nightclub?
The fire at the nightclub in Kocani broke out in the early hours of Sunday after sparks from pyrotechnics, used for a lighting effect, set the roof ablaze, authorities said.
About 500 people were in the nightclub when the fire broke out while the band ADN was performing.
Footage from the scene showed that the bar's roof was burned and collapsed in several places, leaving its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened.
So far, 35 victims have been identified - 31 of them from Kocani and four from Shtip, Alsat reports.
Over 155 people have been hospitalized – mainly in clinics in Skopje, a city about 100 kilometers from Kocani.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said that 20 of the injured are in serious condition.
More than 20 of the injured and three dead are under the age of 18, according to Interior Minister Pance Toshkovski.
Some patients were sent for treatment to Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece, authorities said.
Macedonian authorities promised a swift and thorough investigation, saying that documentation is being secured about the burned-out discotheque, as well as about the people suspected of being connected to the fire.
The Chief Prosecutor of North Macedonia, Ljubco Kocevski, said that a team of prosecutors has been engaged to investigate the incident.
"At the moment, orders have been issued to collect evidence" and people are being questioned, Kocevski said.
Toshkovski said authorities have arrested members of the music group, the club owner's son and government officials.
He added that they have identified 20 suspects in connection with the fire, 15 of whom are in custody.
Among those arrested is the manager of the "Pulse" nightclub.
The nightclub did not have a valid license, according to Toshkovski.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the license was issued illegally by the Ministry of Economy and promised that those responsible would face justice.
"Regardless of who they are, from which institution, from what level, from which party or profession ," said Mickoski.
"I am broken and my spirit is broken," were the first words of the Macedonian prime minister about the tragedy that has shocked the country and the entire world.
"There will be steps and decisions that the public is not used to. But changes start with us," said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in his speech yesterday.
"I am determined and will act decisively. I do not want this event to be politicized, because someone is trying to convince another party of responsibility. This is not an inter-party battle, this is a battle of the honest against the dishonest , " said Mickoski.
"In the coming days we will take a series of measures that will mean a lot, in the fight for this country and on behalf of all the victims of this tragedy and their families," said Mickoski.
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