Fire at nightclub in town of Kočani in North Macedonia kills 59

Euronews

17-03-2025

The Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides, as well as Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom, and the EU, are set to meet on Monday to discuss the reunification of the Mediterranean island once again.
However, chances for a breakthrough remain low.
The island has remained divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded and occupied the northern part of the island.
A few years later, after several failed attempts to resolve the issue, northern Cyprus declared independence. However, it remains only recognised by Turkey.
Western states and much of the international community consider northern Cyprus part of the Republic of Cyprus and support the island's reunification.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, insists on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on UN Security Council resolutions, while northern Cyprus advocates for a two-state solution.
Aristos Michaelides, director of Phileleftheros newspaper, concluded that no positive outcome is expected because both sides remain too far apart.
'At this stage, no substantive progress is expected, but confidence-building measures, like opening new crossing points, may be proposed. Both sides agree on opening new crossing points, though they disagree on which ones and when,' Michaelides said.
He added that the UN secretary-general may intervene to help resolve this issue.
Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides said he is coming to the Geneva talks with a concrete plan and proposals.
Michaelides noted that while the public has little expectation for breakthrough progress, they still hold onto some hope that a solution could emerge.
"The people hear the statements from both sides, see the red lines, and feel a negative atmosphere. Yet, they still hope for a miracle to break the deadlock," he said.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar also pointed out that the UN secretary-general has acknowledged that the sides do not share common ground.
While supporters of a solution value the mere convening of the meeting, they acknowledge that expectations are low.
However, after the last five-day meeting in Geneva in 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, "Squaring the circle is impossible in geometry, but it is very common in politics."
A massive fire tore through Club Pulse nightclub in the eastern town of Kočani early on Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring 155, authorities said.
The blaze broke out around 2:30 am during a concert by a local pop group at the club, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. He said 39 of the dead had so far been identified.
Pyrotechnics likely caused the roof to catch fire, Toshkovski added. Videos showed chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.
The club oversold the tickets for the concert, with some 500 people in attendance — twice the maximum allowed capacity of the venue.
Kočani TV station reported that fire crews came from nearby cities to tackle it and posted video of fire crews at the nightclub.
As relatives gathered outside hospitals to await news, Kočani resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomche had died in the fire.
'He was my only child. I don't need my life anymore,' he said. 'One hundred and fifty families have been devastated.'
Officials said the injured have been taken to hospitals around the country, including the capital, Skopje, many with severe burns. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organisations.
Health Minister Arben Taravari said 118 people have been hospitalised, adding that he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.
'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,' Taravari told reporters, at times looking visibly shaken.
This is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation of some 1.8 million.
President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.
'It's terrible ... hard to believe how this happened,' she said, her voice halting with emotion. 'We must give these young people courage to continue.'
In an online post, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote: "This is a difficult and very sad day for (North) Macedonia. The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.'
Family members gathered in front of the hospital and city offices in Kočani, a town of nearly 25,000 some 115 kilometres east of Skopje, asking authorities for more information.
The club was in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years, according to local media MKD.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence-gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.
A state prosecutor, Ljupcho Kocevski, said several people were being questioned by police but gave no further details and stressed that the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.
Interior ministry officials said authorities would investigate the venue's licensing and safety provisions, adding that the government had a 'moral responsibility' to help prosecute anyone responsible. Police have arrested one man already, but he didn't provide details on the person's involvement.
As they awoke to news of the overnight tragedy, the country's immediate neighbors and leaders from further afield in Europe sent condolences.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on X that she was 'deeply saddened' and said the 27-nation bloc 'shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia.' North Macedonia is a candidate for EU membership.
Condolences also poured in from politicians across the region, including Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
'I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,' Zelenskyy wrote on X.
The fire in Kočani is one of the worst blazes in European nightclubs in recent years. In Turkey, a fire in the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul in April 2024 trapped workers and employees while the venue was closed for renovations. It killed 29 people.
In October 2023, a blaze that started at a nightclub in the city of Murcia and spread to two other clubs left 13 people dead.
A blaze that broke out during a rock band's pyrotechnics display at the Colectiv nightclub in the capital Bucharest in October 2015 killed 64 people and left some 190 injured.
The worst nightclub fire took place in Russia in December 2009. Some 152 people died when a blaze broke out at the Lame Horse nightclub in the city of Perm. It started when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches.
A monster storm system sparked scores of tornadoes and wildfires that have ripped through parts of the United States, killing at least 32 people. Experts warn more severe weather is expected through the next 24-hour period.
Eight people were killed in a vehicle collision in western Kansas' Sherman County after heavy winds produced blowing dust on a major highway. More than 50 vehicles were involved in the fatal accident.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says six people were killed in three different counties while a further three people were reported missing. Almost 30 others were injured across the state.
The central state of Missouri recorded more fatalities than any other state as scattered twisters overnight that killed at least 12, authorities said. One man died after a tornado completely ripped apart and destroyed his home.
'It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field,' said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, describing the scene that confronted rescuers. 'The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.'
Officials in Arkansas said three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties.
'We have teams out surveying the damage from last night's tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,' posted Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on X.
Sanders, Reeves and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared states of emergencies across their states. Kemp said he was doing so in anticipation of severe weather moving in, in the early hours of Sunday.
On Friday, meanwhile, authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.
The massive storm system unleashed winds that triggered deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.
Extreme weather conditions were forecast to affect an are that is home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 130 kmph were predicted from the Canadian border all the way down to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in southern warmer and drier areas.
Evacuations were ordered in some communities in Oklahoma as more than 130 wildfires were reported across the state. Nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to Governor Kevin Still, who also added that fires burned across an area of 689 square km.
The US National Weather Service also reported that the storms also brough about massive amounts of rain. Several areas experienced flooding with a lot more at risk. Authorities are urging residents in areas affected by the storms to remain indoors and exercise caution.