Latest news with #Taseva
Gulf Today
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Fire at North Macedonia nightclub kills 59, injures over 150
Fire ripped through a packed nightclub early on Sunday in the North Macedonian town of Kocani, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, officials said, after sparks ignited the roof above a live band. Authorities arrested about 20 people in connection with the fire, including government officials and the manager of the "Pulse" nightclub, which did not have a legitimate licence, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski told a press conference. "We have a reason to suspect graft and corruption were involved in this case," he said, without providing details. One video from the event, verified by Reuters, showed a band playing on stage flanked by two flares whose white sparks set a patch of ceiling alight. The fire spread fast and caused a panicked rush to the exits. A drone view shows a night club destroyed in a fire resulting in casualties, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia. Reuters "Fire broke out, everyone started screaming and shouting: 'Get out, get out'," Marija Taseva, 22, told Reuters. As she tried to escape, Taseva fell to the ground and people trod on her, injuring her face. In the rush, she lost contact with her sister, who did not make it out. "My sister died," Taseva said, breaking into tears. Toskovski confirmed that the fire, which began at around 3am (0200 GMT), was caused by "pyrotechnic devices" whose sparks triggered the blaze. He said 500 people were in the club when the fire started. About 148 people were hospitalized in Skopje, Kocani and surrounding towns, Health Minister Arben Taravari said, adding that 20 people were critically injured. People react outside a hospital, following a fire in a night club resulting in casualties, in the town of Kocani. Reuters Condolences flooded in from global leaders, including EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Pope Francis. People searched for missing loved ones online and at hospitals across the country. Simeon Sokolov, 50, found his daughter Anastasija at the emergency ward of the September 8 hospital in the capital Skopje, where she was being treated for burns and smoke inhalation. "I just know that there are many children who have suffered," he told Reuters. "Doctors are doing their job and the number is big." Emergency responders operate outside a night club, following a fire resulting in casualties, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, on Sunday. Reuters Some patients were transferred to neighbouring Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece for treatment, authorities from those countries said. INVESTIGATION North Macedonia's Public Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said five prosecutors would investigate the incident. "At the moment, orders have been issued for collecting of evidence" and some people were being interviewed, Kocevski said, without elaborating. Toskovski said authorities had arrested members of the band, the son of the club owner and government officials. Firefighters doused the charred and smoking entrance of the "Pulse" nightclub before dawn as ambulances rushed from the scene, TV footage from a local broadcaster showed. A woman cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani following a massive fire in a nightclub. AP Reuters pictures showed the club's corrugated iron roof burned through and collapsed in places, its interior wooden beams exposed and blackened. North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Facebook: "This is a difficult and very sad day for Macedonia! The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable." After visiting the injured in a hospital in Skopje, North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, dressed in black and fighting tears, said authorities were ready to do everything to help all affected. "I simply cannot comprehend this ... what a disaster, what a tragedy." Reuters
Saudi Gazette
17-03-2025
- Saudi Gazette
North Macedonia mourns nightclub disaster
KOCANI — Marija Taseva was enjoying a night out with her sister at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when disaster struck. They were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country, when a fire broke out , which killed at least 59 people and injured 155 others. "Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told Reuters. People desperately tried to escape the flames but there was only one exit for around 500 people, as the only other door at the back of the venue was locked. "I don't know how but I ended up on the ground, I couldn't get up and at that moment people started stomping on me," Ms Taseva said. She eventually managed to get to safety, but her sister did not. "My sister died. I was saved and she wasn't." Ten suspects believed to be responsible for the fire — including "officials from the ministries which gave out this license" — have been arrested. The fire started around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from pyrotechnic devices hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said. Described as an "improvised nightclub" by the local press, the venue, located in a town around 100km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, did not have a legal licence to operate, Toskovski said. It had previously been a carpet warehouse, and police are looking into whether bribery and corruption were linked to the fire. "Most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit," the head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters. "Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she said, according to AFP news agency. Vladislav Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University Clinic for Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors. "Most of them have extensive burn injuries, above 18% surface body area, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and upper limbs — hands and fingers," he said. Inspections on Sunday showed several "abnormalities" in the venue, including "deficiencies" in the fire-extinguishing and lighting system, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office Biljana Arsovska said. Speaking outside the hospital, Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov said the majority of those who died were young people. "Inside where they are identifying the victims, the situation is far worse. You see that the parents are also quite young people, in their 40s. Their children are 18 or 20 years old." "The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad, and unfortunately many young lives are lost." One man, whose nephew was injured in the fire, said some people have been unable to locate their children. Many are angry and searching for answers, like Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child in the fire. "Let me tell you in front of everybody. Film me. I am a dead man, I lost everything ... the whole of Europe should know," he told reporters. "After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I don't need it. "I had one child and I lost him." North Macedonia's President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said there needed to be accountability for what happened. "None of the responsible this time should avoid the law, the justice and punishment too," she said. "Nothing is worthier than human life, specifically young life." The most seriously injured were being taken for treatment in specialist clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, she added. The government has declared seven days of national mourning, and it will hold an emergency session as part of ongoing investigations into how the incident unfolded. — BBC
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
'I had one child and I lost him' - North Macedonia mourns nightclub disaster
Marija Taseva was enjoying a night out with her sister at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when disaster struck. They were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country, when a fire broke out , which killed at least 59 people and injured 155 others. "Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told Reuters. People desperately tried to escape the flames but there was only one exit for around 500 people, as the only other door at the back of the venue was locked. "I don't know how but I ended up on the ground, I couldn't get up and at that moment people started stomping on me," Ms Taseva said. She eventually managed to get to safety, but her sister did not. "My sister died. I was saved and she wasn't." Ten suspects believed to be responsible for the fire - including "officials from the ministries which gave out this licence" - have been arrested. The fire started around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from pyrotechnic devices hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said. Described as an "improvised nightclub" by the local press, the venue, located in a town around 100km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, did not have a legal licence to operate, Toskovski said. It had previously been a carpet warehouse, and police are looking into whether bribery and corruption were linked to the fire. "Most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit," the head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters. "Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she said, according to AFP news agency. Vladislav Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University Clinic for Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors. "Most of them have extensive burn injuries, above 18% surface body area, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and upper limbs - hands and fingers," he said. Inspections on Sunday showed several "abnormalities" in the venue, including "deficiencies" in the fire-extinguishing and lighting system, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office Biljana Arsovska said. Speaking outside the hospital, Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov said the majority of those who died were young people. "Inside where they are identifying the victims, the situation is far worse. You see that the parents are also quite young people, in their 40s. Their children are 18 or 20 years old." "The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad, and unfortunately many young lives are lost." One man, whose nephew was injured in the fire, said some people have been unable to locate their children. Many are angry and searching for answers, like Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child in the fire. "Let me tell you in front of everybody. Film me. I am a dead man, I lost everything … the whole of Europe should know," he told reporters. "After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I don't need it. "I had one child and I lost him." North Macedonia's President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said there needed to be accountability for what happened. "None of the responsible this time should avoid the law, the justice and punishment too," she said. "Nothing is worthier than human life, specifically young life." The most seriously injured were being taken for treatment in specialist clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, she added. The government has declared seven days of national mourning, and it will hold an emergency session as part of ongoing investigations into how the incident unfolded. Ten detained after North Macedonia nightclub fire kills 59
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
'I had one child and I lost him' - North Macedonia mourns nightclub disaster
Marija Taseva was enjoying a night out with her sister at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when disaster struck. They were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country, when a fire broke out , which killed at least 59 people and injured 155 others. "Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told Reuters. People desperately tried to escape the flames but there was only one exit for around 500 people, as the only other door at the back of the venue was locked. "I don't know how but I ended up on the ground, I couldn't get up and at that moment people started stomping on me," Ms Taseva said. She eventually managed to get to safety, but her sister did not. "My sister died. I was saved and she wasn't." Ten suspects believed to be responsible for the fire - including "officials from the ministries which gave out this licence" - have been arrested. The fire started around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from pyrotechnic devices hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said. Described as an "improvised nightclub" by the local press, the venue, located in a town around 100km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, did not have a legal licence to operate, Toskovski said. It had previously been a carpet warehouse, and police are looking into whether bribery and corruption were linked to the fire. "Most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit," the head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters. "Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she said, according to AFP news agency. Vladislav Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University Clinic for Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors. "Most of them have extensive burn injuries, above 18% surface body area, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and upper limbs - hands and fingers," he said. Inspections on Sunday showed several "abnormalities" in the venue, including "deficiencies" in the fire-extinguishing and lighting system, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office Biljana Arsovska said. Speaking outside the hospital, Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov said the majority of those who died were young people. "Inside where they are identifying the victims, the situation is far worse. You see that the parents are also quite young people, in their 40s. Their children are 18 or 20 years old." "The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad, and unfortunately many young lives are lost." One man, whose nephew was injured in the fire, said some people have been unable to locate their children. Many are angry and searching for answers, like Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child in the fire. "Let me tell you in front of everybody. Film me. I am a dead man, I lost everything … the whole of Europe should know," he told reporters. "After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I don't need it. "I had one child and I lost him." North Macedonia's President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said there needed to be accountability for what happened. "None of the responsible this time should avoid the law, the justice and punishment too," she said. "Nothing is worthier than human life, specifically young life." The most seriously injured were being taken for treatment in specialist clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, she added. The government has declared seven days of national mourning, and it will hold an emergency session as part of ongoing investigations into how the incident unfolded. Ten detained after North Macedonia nightclub fire kills 59
BBC News
17-03-2025
- BBC News
'I had one child and I lost him' - North Macedonia mourns nightclub fire
Marija Taseva was enjoying a night out with her sister at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when disaster were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country, when a fire broke out , which killed at least 59 people and injured 155 others."Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told desperately tried to escape the flames but there was only one exit for around 500 people, as the only other door at the back of the venue was locked."I don't know how but I ended up on the ground, I couldn't get up and at that moment people started stomping on me," Ms Taseva eventually managed to get to safety, but her sister did not."My sister died. I was saved and she wasn't."Ten suspects believed to be responsible for the fire - including "officials from the ministries which gave out this licence" - have been arrested. The fire started around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from pyrotechnic devices hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, Interior Minister Pance Toskovski as an "improvised nightclub" by the local press, the venue, located in a town around 100km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, did not have a legal licence to operate, Toskovski had previously been a carpet warehouse, and police are looking into whether bribery and corruption were linked to the fire."Most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit," the head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters."Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she said, according to AFP news Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University Clinic for Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors."Most of them have extensive burn injuries, above 18% surface body area, second and third degree burns on the head, neck, upper torso, and upper limbs - hands and fingers," he said. 'Many young lives lost' Inspections on Sunday showed several "abnormalities" in the venue, including "deficiencies" in the fire-extinguishing and lighting system, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office Biljana Arsovska outside the hospital, Red Cross volunteer Mustafa Saidov said the majority of those who died were young people."Inside where they are identifying the victims, the situation is far worse. You see that the parents are also quite young people, in their 40s. Their children are 18 or 20 years old.""The situation is brutal, chaotic, the stories are very sad, and unfortunately many young lives are lost."One man, whose nephew was injured in the fire, said some people have been unable to locate their children. Many are angry and searching for answers, like Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only child in the fire."Let me tell you in front of everybody. Film me. I am a dead man, I lost everything … the whole of Europe should know," he told reporters."After this tragedy, what do I need this life for? I don't need it."I had one child and I lost him."North Macedonia's President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said there needed to be accountability for what happened."None of the responsible this time should avoid the law, the justice and punishment too," she said."Nothing is worthier than human life, specifically young life."The most seriously injured were being taken for treatment in specialist clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, she government has declared seven days of national mourning, and it will hold an emergency session as part of ongoing investigations into how the incident unfolded.
