Heartbreak in North Macedonia: Nightclub tragedy leaves families shattered
Marija Taseva and her sister enjoyed a night out at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, when disaster struck. They watched DNK, a popular hip-hop duo, when a fire broke out, killing at least 59 people and injuring 155 others.
“Everyone started screaming and shouting, ‘Get out, get out!'” Taseva, 19, told Reuters.
Panic spread as people rushed to escape. The club had only one open exit for 500 people. The second door remained locked.
“I fell to the ground. People stomped on me,” Taseva recalled. She survived, but her sister did not.
“My sister died. I was saved, and she wasn’t.”
Police detained 15 people. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski cited “grounds for suspicion of bribery and corruption” linked to the fire. Authorities said sparks from pyrotechnic devices ignited the ceiling, made of highly flammable material. The fire started around 2:30 a.m. local time Sunday (1:30 a.m. GMT).
Local press described the venue as an “improvised nightclub.” Toskovski confirmed it lacked a legal license. It once served as a carpet warehouse. Police launched an investigation.
Many victims died in the stampede. “Most of the dead suffered injuries while trying to escape,” said Kristina Serafimovska, head of Kocani Hospital.
Doctors treated 70 patients for burns and carbon monoxide poisoning, AFP reported. Vladislav Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive surgery, detailed the severity of the injuries.
“Most have extensive burns covering over 18% of their bodies,” he said. “They suffered second and third-degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and hands.”
Investigators found serious safety violations. “Inspections revealed deficiencies in the fire-extinguishing and lighting systems,” said Biljana Arsovska, a public prosecutor’s office spokesperson.
Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov described the heartbreaking scenes.
“Most victims were young,” he said. “Parents, barely in their 40s, lost children just 18 or 20 years old.”
Families searched for missing loved ones. One man, whose nephew suffered injuries, said many still couldn’t find their children. Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child, expressed his devastation. “Film me. Let all of Europe know,” he told reporters. “I lost everything. What do I need this life for? I had one child, and I lost him.”
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova called for justice. “No one responsible should escape the law,” she said. “Nothing is more valuable than human life.” Officials transferred the most severely injured to hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Turkey. The government declared seven days of national mourning. It also scheduled an emergency session to investigate the tragedy.
