North Macedonia Prosecutors Seek Detention for Deadly Nightclub Fire Suspects
Source: Balkan Insight
Relatives and friends of the victims of the Kocani nightclub fire in front of the town’s hospital, March 16, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI
North Macedonia’s prosecution said hearings were underway on Monday at the basic court in Kocani to determine whether eight people suspected of wrongdoing over the blaze that erupted in a nightclub in the town early on Sunday morning are to be placed in short-term detention.
On Sunday, the State Prosecution said it would request detention for 11 suspects. But only eight detention requests have been sent to the court because “the remaining three are still hospitalised with serious health conditions. The procedure in relation to them will continue immediately, when their condition improves,” the prosecution said.
In one of the worst tragedies ever to hit the country of just under 2 million inhabitants, at least 59 people died and 155 were hospitalised after fireworks were set off at a concert by a hip-hop band in the crowded Pulse nightclub in Kocani and fire broke out.
Seven of the musicians and accompanying crew members from DNK, the band playing at the club, were among the dead.
State Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski on Sunday night did not offer more details about the suspects. But Interior Minister Pance Toskovski earlier said that among them were the organisers of the concert, people related to the ownership and management of the club and also a former state secretary in the Economy Ministry, a former head of the State Safety and Rescue Directorate and a former sector chief in the same institution.
The mayor of Kocani, Ljupco Papazov, announced his resignation over the tragedy, saying that he wanted to “set an example that we are against a nonfunctioning system”.
“If there is any basis for responsibility on my part, I call on the prosecutor’s office to investigate it and act in accordance with the law,” Papazov wrote on Facebook on Monday.
‘Falsified’ license, no safety equipment, minors inside club
The police and prosecution have already assembled a picture of serious legal and safety omissions that could have contributed to or exacerbated the incident.
“The building did not have a [fire] hydrant network, nor did it have a hydrant in use. There were not enough fire extinguishers for the square footage of the building … there were only two … no two exit doors for evacuation as prescribed by the law, but just one, locked and at the back of the building,” Prosecutor Kocevski said on Sunday.
An initial investigation also found that the interior of the building was not lined with fireproof materials but with flammable plasterboard and foam, for noise isolation, Kocevski said. There was no sprinkler system to douse fires. The prosecutor also noted the lack of easy access for emergency vehicles.
Earlier on Sunday, Interior Minister Toskovski said the authorities also suspect “corruption and bribery” over the issue of the licence for the club, which he said was most likely “falsified”, as it contained stamps and signatures but was not listed in the central register.
He also said the concert was held without a proper licence, as was the firework show staged during the concert.
At the time of the concert, the venue, a relatively small former storage building that had operated as a nightclub for years, had some 500 people inside. Many were minors who should not have been there, the minister added.
20 still in critical condition, neighbouring countries rush to help
A soldier tries to control traffic in front of the hospital in Kocani, March 16, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI.
As the investigation focused on suspected corruption and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski ordered emergency safety inspections of all other entertainment venues and hospitality sites, authorities warned that the death toll may still rise.
Of more than 150 injured people, medical authorities said 20 have severe injuries, some of whom are still in a critical condition.
Some of the most seriously injured patients were transported on Sunday to specialist clinics in neighbouring countries that have offered help, including Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Turkey and Croatia.
Week of mourning as condolences pour in
As messages of condolence poured in from world leaders and dignitaries, the country declared seven days of mourning for the victims.
The office of Pope Francis, who has been in hospital with pneumonia for a month, offered “profound condolences” and prayers for the victims and their families.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on X that “the EU stands in solidarity with the people of North Macedonia in this difficult time.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X wrote that “Ukraine mourns alongside our Macedonian friends on this sad day.”
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
