Who was Andrej Lazarov? soccer player, 25, dies saving lives in Macedonia fire
Listen to article
Andrej Lazarov, a 25-year-old professional footballer, died a hero in the early hours of Sunday, March 16, while trying to save others from a raging nightclub fire that killed at least 59 people and injured more than 155 in Kočani, North Macedonia.
Lazarov, a central midfielder, had joined second-tier Macedonian club FC Skopje in September. Described by his teammates as dedicated, humble, and full of heart, he had quickly become a valued presence in the dressing room.
Though his time at the club was short, his impact was lasting — both as a player and as a person.
He had previously played in various youth systems across the country and was known for his work ethic on and off the pitch.
Friends and teammates say he was deeply passionate about football and always stepped up when his team or community needed him.
The fire erupted around 2:35 a.m. local time at the Pulse nightclub during a concert by a local hip-hop group. Pyrotechnics reportedly ignited the roof of the packed venue, which was hosting about 1,500 people.
Amid the panic, Lazarov acted selflessly. According to FC Skopje's emotional statement, he was last seen trying to help people escape the fire.
He ultimately died from smoke inhalation while attempting to rescue others.
'As a heroic soul, Lazarov lost his life trying to help others escape from the burning environment,' the club wrote.
'He was poisoned by smoke during his efforts to save lives, showing courage and humanity until the very end.'
The club described the loss as one of the greatest in its history. 'Although he was with us for only six months, his name will remain indelible,' the statement read. 'The memory of him will always remain unforgettable in our hearts.'
Tributes flooded social media, with fans and fellow players calling Lazarov a 'true hero.' One user wrote, 'True heroes are made of courage,' while another said, 'Rest in peace, Andrej Lazarov. You died saving others. That's the definition of bravery.'
Government officials, including North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, expressed condolences over the tragedy, calling it a dark day for the nation.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, also posted a message on X mourning the loss of so many young lives.
While investigations continue, one thing is certain: Andrej Lazarov will be remembered not only for his talent on the field but for his final, selfless act that cost him his life.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
PSG's UCL win gives Qatari owners glory
Paris St Germain's Marquinhos lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Champions League. Photo: REUTERS After almost 15 years of huge investment, frequent disappointment and occasional humiliation, Paris Saint-Germain got their hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy on Saturday, allowing their Qatari owners to bask in the glory of an emphatic triumph. PSG could not win European football's biggest prize in previous seasons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or later with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and even after that when they added Lionel Messi to the mix. But they have done it now after shifting the focus away from signing glamorous superstars and letting a brilliant coach in Luis Enrique work with a hungry, dynamic young team. PSG have been Europe's best side in 2025, but the display against Inter Milan in Munich topped it all as they romped to a 5-0 victory, the biggest win in the final in the competition's history. It was ultimately worth the long wait for the Gulf owners who arrived in 2011 when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) bought an ailing club. Qatar got the perfect World Cup final in 2022, when Messi's Argentina beat Mbappe's France on an epic night in Doha, and now Qatari-owned PSG have the most stunning Champions League final win. It is easy to forget now, but they lost three of their first five games in the tournament this season. "We had a difficult start. Everyone criticised us and doubted us. Lots of people didn't believe in our project," PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi told broadcaster Canal Plus. "The objective now is to win again. It has taken 14 years of hard work but we are building something for the future." Khelaifi, who is close to Qatar's ruler and holds several influential positions in football including as chairman of the European Club Association, was beaming as he celebrated with the trophy. It is just the second time any French club has won it after Marseille in 1993. It surely won't take over 30 years for PSG to win another Champions League, especially as this thrilling young side should now stay together for a long time. The average age of their starting line-up on Saturday was under 25 and their oldest player is Marquinhos at 31 -- he has been there since 2013. "I have suffered and I have grown with this team," the Brazilian told broadcaster M6. "My thoughts are with all the players who played here but were not able to win it." It has required 14 years, eight coaches, and over two billion euros ($2.27 billion) spent on transfer fees for QSI to get here. In the last 12 campaigns before this season, PSG reached one final, losing to Bayern Munich in Lisbon in 2020. There were two semi-final defeats, but there have also been humiliating collapses in the last 16 against Barcelona in 2017, Manchester United in 2019 and Real Madrid in 2022. "I said when I came in that the objective was to win important trophies, and the only one missing was the Champions League," said Luis Enrique, appointed in 2023. After Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City's victory two years ago, also against Inter, it is another triumph for a club with mega-rich Gulf owners. PSG's victory was always only a matter of time. Their revenue last year of just over 800 million euros made them the third-richest club in analysts Deloitte's Football Money League. They sat behind only Real and City, and just ahead of traditional European aristocrats United, Bayern and Barcelona. PSG's last reported annual wage bill was close to double Inter's entire revenues. The difference with past years is that they are now spending the money more intelligently, on the likes of Saturday's two-goal hero Desire Doue, Joao Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos recently signed new contracts with the club who also won all three available titles in France this season. PSG will now take away more than 100 million euros just in prize money from winning the Champions League, and there is the chance for more glory and riches as they head to the highly lucrative FIFA Club World Cup in the USA.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Ukraine, Russia escalate war with major drone strikes ahead of peace talks
Listen to article On the eve of peace talks, Ukraine and Russia sharply ramped up the war with one of the biggest drone battles of their conflict, a Russian highway bridge blown up over a passenger train and an ambitious attack on nuclear-capable bombers deep in Siberia. After days of uncertainty over whether or not Ukraine would even attend, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would sit down with Russian officials at the second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. The first round of the talks more than a week ago yielded the biggest prisoner exchange of the war - but no sense of any consensus on how to halt the fighting. Amid talk of peace, though, there was much war. At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge in Russia's Bryansk region, neighbouring Ukraine, was blown up over a passenger train heading to Moscow with 388 people on board. No one has yet claimed responsibility. Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base deep in Siberia on Sunday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4,300 km (2,670 miles) away. The official said the operation involved hiding explosive-laden drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and loading them onto trucks that were driven to the perimeter of the air bases. A total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit, the official said. Russia acknowledges air base attacks, says fires put out= Ukraine did not tell the Trump administration about the attack in advance, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official. Russia's Defence Ministry acknowledged on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine had launched drone strikes against Russian military airfields across five regions on Sunday. It said the attacks repelled the assaults in all but two regions — Murmansk in the far north and Irkutsk in Siberia - where "the launch of FPV drones from an area in close proximity to airfields resulted in several aircraft catching fire". The fires were extinguished without casualties. Some individuals involved in the attacks had been detained, the ministry said. Russia launched 472 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said, the highest nightly total of the war so far. Russia had also launched seven missiles, the air force said. Russia said it had advanced deeper into the Sumy region of Ukraine, and open source pro-Ukrainian maps showed Russia took 450 square km of Ukrainian land in May, its fastest monthly advance in at least six months. US President Donald Trump has demanded Russia and Ukraine make peace and he has threatened to walk away if they do not - potentially pushing responsibility for supporting Ukraine onto the shoulders of European powers - which have far less cash and much smaller stocks of weapons than the United States. According to Trump envoy Keith Kellogg, the two sides will in Turkey present their respective documents outlining their ideas for peace terms, though it is clear that after three years of intense war, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart. Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops. The United States says over 1.2 million people have been killed and injured in the war since 2022. Trump has called Putin "crazy" and berated Zelenskiy in public in the Oval Office, but the US president has also said that he thinks peace is achievable and that if Putin delays then he could impose tough sanctions on Russia. In June last year, Putin set out his opening terms for an immediate end to the war: Ukraine must drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia. Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul will present to the Russian side a proposed roadmap for reaching a lasting peace settlement, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters. According to the document, there will be no restrictions on Ukraine's military strength after a peace deal is struck, no international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow's forces, and reparations for Ukraine. The document also stated that the current location of the front line will be the starting point for negotiations about territory. Russia currently controls a little under one fifth of Ukraine, or about 113,100 square km, about the same size as the US state of Ohio.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Wild celebrations in Paris after PSG's Champions League win
PARIS: Thousands of Paris Saint-Germain supporters took to the streets of the French capital on Saturday to celebrate their club's victory in the Champions League final, but nearly 300 arrests were made after some clashes with police. The majority of fans celebrated peacefully, but Paris police said scuffles broke out near the city's Champs-Elysees avenue and PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, where 48,000 had watched the 5-0 win against Inter Milan in Munich on big screens. Most of the nearly 300 people detained were suspected of possessing fireworks and causing disorder, Paris police said. AFP journalists saw police use a water cannon to stop a crowd reaching the Arc de Triomphe. 'Troublemakers on the Champs-Elysees were looking to create incidents and repeatedly came into contact with police by throwing large fireworks and other objects,' police said in a statement. Outside Paris, police said a car careered into fans celebrating PSG's win in Grenoble in southeastern France, leaving four people injured, two of them seriously. All of those hurt were from the same family, police said. The driver handed himself in to the police and was placed under arrest. A source close to the investigation said it was believed the driver had not acted intentionally. In Paris, most fans showed their joy by singing and dancing in the streets, with cars sounding their horns, after their team won the biggest prize in European club football for the first time in their history. One 20-year-old PSG supporter, Clement, said: 'It's so good and so deserved! We have a song that talks about our struggles and it hasn't always been easy. Lionel Messi double as Miami hit five past Columbus 'But we got our faith back this year with a team without stars. They're 11 guys who play for each other.' French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he would host the victorious players on Sunday to congratulate them. In a separate message on X, Macron hailed a 'day of glory for PSG'. 'Bravo, we are all proud,' he wrote. 'Paris is the capital of Europe tonight.' Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed it as a 'historic' win. The PSG team will hold a victory parade on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday when tens of thousands of supporters are expected to gather to get a glimpse of their returning heroes.
