(Image via cnn.com)
Staff Writer: Akshit Bagga
Email: abagga@umassd.edu
A party at a nightclub in North Macedonia turned into a nightmare after a massive fire broke out at the facility, leaving 59 dead and injuring more than 150 people.
In the early hours of Sunday, March 16, a fire broke out during a concert at the Pulse nightclub in the Kochani town of North Macedonia.
At least 500 people were attending the event as local pop band DNK performed their beats. As the tragedy struck at the overcrowded venue, people rushed towards the exit, resulting in a stampede that killed 59 people.
More than 155 people were injured in the incident.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 AM local time (09:30 PM Eastern Time).
Most of the clubgoers were young people between the ages of 16 and 24. The lead singer of DNK, Andrej Gjorgjieski, the drummer, and a backup singer died in the incident. Only the guitarist, Vladimir Blazev, survived the fire and is being treated for his injuries at the local hospital.
Investigators revealed that the venue did not have a legal license to operate. The club was hosting double its original capacity of 250 when the incident occurred. Authorities have arrested one and detained at least 20 people for questioning.
The investigators commented, “We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case.”
The club was in an old single-storey building in Kochani which was earlier a carpet warehouse. Kochani is a small town that houses around 25,000 people and is located approximately 60 miles from the capital city of North Macedonia, Skopje.
The prime minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, took to X and tweeted, “This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”
He added, “The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments.”
Video clips from before the incident reveal sparks from stage pyrotechnics setting the roof on fire. The blaze’s aftermath caused the roof to collapse partially, leaving behind charred remains of wooden beams and debris.
Marija Taseva, a 19-year-old woman attending the concert, said, “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.”
Taseva suffered injuries on her face.
Following the incident, the government declared a seven-day period of national mourning. Addressing the people, North Macedonia’s President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said, “Your immense pain is mine too.”
She added in a statement, “No business or activity can function without standards and rules. Let us not allow anyone to endanger the lives of innocent people again.”
Protests broke out in the capital city of Skopje, with people gathering at the city center to observe silence for the dead and express their anger at the government. The government has ordered raids on various establishments.
Authorities revealed that out of the 50 nightclubs raided, only 22 were found to have legal licenses to operate.
Commenting on the medical conditions of the deceased, North Macedonia’s health minister Arben Taravari said, “All our capabilities have been put to use, in a maximum effort to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy.”
He added that North Macedonia has received assistance from neighboring countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece.This incident is one of the worst fire tragedies in the recent history of North Macedonia. In April 2024, a fire broke out at a Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul, leaving 29 dead. Another incident in October 2023 at a Spanish city nightclub killed 13 people. While fire incidents like these are rare, they are deadly.