Aussie woman’s heartfelt plea over nightclub blaze tragedy
An Australian woman has issued an emotional appeal over the horrific fire that killed dozens in North Macedonia, as multiple people are arrested. Warning: Graphic
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An Australian woman is calling for donations over the horrific blaze that ravaged a nightclub in North Macedonia, killing dozens.
Emilija Malinova, from Melbourne’s northwest, has so far raised $9,555 on a GoFundMe set up to aid the Macedonian Red Cross after the fire decimated the Club Pulse nightclub in Kocani, east of the capital Skopje.
At least 59 people were killed in the horrific blaze, with the youngest victim aged just 14.
“My hometown, my relatives, my friends, my neighbours, people I grew up with lost their children in a fire in a popular disco club,” Ms Malinova wrote.
“There are many in hospitals and they are in a critical condition. They need our help.”
The nightclub was packed with fans watching DNK, a popular hip-hop band, when sparks from flares apparently set a patch of ceiling ablaze.
About 20 people have been detained for questioning over the disaster, including the nightclub owner and some former government ministers, amid allegations of safety violations, bribery and corruption.
The blaze caused the worst loss of life in the country since 1993, when two deadly plane crashes occurred.
Most of those killed were teens and young adults.
North Macedonia lowered flags to half mast and hundreds turned out for memorial events as the Balkan nation mourned.
The mayor of Kocani, Ljupco Papazov has announced his resignation over the tragedy, as he urged the circumstances be thoroughly probed.
“These children were our children. I knew most of them. I knew their families, and some were family friends. The shock and brokenness I feel will last my entire life,” he posted on social media.
MEMORIALS, PROTESTS, INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
People flocked to memorials around North Macedonia, a country of 1.8 million people, to pay respects to those killed, and to vent anger.
“I think that this is not an accident but literally direct murder due to all the breaches that are being done in the state,” Angela Zumbakova, a 19-year-old psychology student, said as hundreds massed at a service at the university in the capital Skopje under frigid rain.
“We cannot be silent all the time no matter how afraid we are,” she said as students came to stand in silence, lay flowers and light candles at a makeshift shrine.
In Kocani, a town of 30,000 residents, dozens waited in line to sign a book of condolences.
A small group of protesters demonstrated outside at a cafe in Kocani owned by the same proprietor of Club Pulse, with some vandalising the property, according to local reports and video shared on social media.
The blaze caused the worst loss of life in the country since 1993, when two deadly plane crashes occurred.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The fire rapidly spread as a crowd of young fans packed into Club Pulse to attend the performance by a popular hip-hop band called DNK.
The blaze was apparently started by fireworks onstage igniting the ceiling of the nightclub, according to Interior Minister Pance Toskovski.
The minister said there were 500 people inside at the time, well over the capacity for the 250 tickets sold.
Authorities said 162 people were hurt, with 45 suffering very serious injuries, many of whom were taken to hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey for specialist treatment.
FORGED LICENSE, CORRUPTION TO BLAME
The interior minister said investigators had determined the owner of Club Pulse had been operating under a forged licence, as he vowed to crackdown on widespread corruption.
“Corruption and crime are leading us to a stage where we lose the lives of our children,” Toskovski said.
The list of suspects caught up in the investigation includes the owner of the club, the organiser of the event, and people responsible for security.
A former director of the rescue services and a state secretary at the economy ministry were also among those held for questioning.
The prosecutor’s office said the club had breached several fire regulations, including having insufficient extinguishers and emergency exits.
FIRE EXIT ‘PADLOCKED’, NO HANDLE
The nightclub reportedly had its fire exit padlocked and walled up, with no handle on the inside, according to the prosecutor.
State Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski stated that the club was covered in flammable materials, lacked a hydrant network, and had a severe shortage of fire extinguishers.
The only exit at the back of the building was an improvised metal door, padlocked with no handle on the inside. The building also lacked a door braking system and a fire alarm with a loud sound signal.
Additionally, the club was lined with illegal soundproofing and decorative materials that were highly flammable. There was also no access for emergency services from either side of the building, violating the country’s Fire Protection Regulation.
“Sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke,” Mr Toskovski said.
The interior ministry announced so far have 20 suspects, including around 15 people in the police station, some who died in the blaze or have been hospitalised.
WHO DIED AND HOW?
One of lead entertainment act DNK’s singers, Andrej Gjorgjieski, was killed and the other, Vladimir Blazev, was injured, while a guitarist, a drummer and a back-up singer also died.
The head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, earlier said that many of the dead “suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit”.
Officials confirmed the youngest victim was a 14-year-old with the oldest being aged 24. It is understood no Australians were involved in the nightclub tragedy.
“The fire started around 2.30am, the sparklers that were on stage ignited the styrofoam on the ceiling. I heard an explosion and the roof collapsed,” one young person who was inside for the concert told local media.
Ms Serafimovska, told media that “most of the dead unfortunately suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit”.
“Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning,” she said.
Vladimir Blazev had burns to his face and needed assistance with breathing, his sister told local media outlets.
An unnamed survivor also spoke about the horror as she detailed how she was forced to push through charred bodies to save herself as the flames tore through the old warehouse.
She suffered injuries to her ear and knee, while her sister is still missing.
“The fire broke out suddenly and everyone started running for the exit,” she told Sky News. “There were charred bodies. I don’t know… everyone is stressed.”
She added that she and her family have been “unable to find” her sibling in any of the hospitals.
“She is injured. Running outside she fell and people stomped over her,” she told reporters.
A father also spoke about losing his only son in the deadly incident.
Dragi Stojanov’s son Tomce, 21, was among the crowd inside and has since been identified as one of the victims who died.
Mr Stojanov told reporters at the scene: “It’s my only child and he died. What is left for me in life? I don’t need my life anymore.”
Asked for his age, he said his son had “only (just) started to live”.
He described the victims as “children… burnt, beyond recognition”.
“There are corpses, just corpses inside. They can’t pull them out. 150 families are devastated.”
The fire was probably caused by pyrotechnic devices “used for light effects at the concert,” said Interior Minister Pance Toskovski, who visited the scene with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
Footage posted on social media shows the building engulfed in flames. Helicopters ferried some of the wounded to the capital Skopje's’s hospitals.
“This is a difficult and very sad day” for the country, Prime Minister Mickoski wrote on his Facebook account.
“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the grief of their families, their loved ones and their friends is immeasurable.”
The government said it had scheduled a session for later Sunday in which a seven-day mourning period would be proclaimed.
“A decision will also be made on an urgent and extraordinary inspection of all nightclubs, discotheques and restaurants that organise parties,” the government said in a statement.
Pope Francis sent prayers to the victims and survivors and wished “the families of the dead, mostly young people, the expression of his deep condolence,” the Vatican said in a message addressed to the bishop of Skopje, Kiro Stojanov.
Videos posted on social networks and shot before the fire showed there were “stage fountains” set up - a type of indoor fireworks used during performances.
As the day unfolded, the leaders of neighbouring countries Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Serbia sent condolences and dispatched various forms support.
There were also messages from parts of the European Union, which North Macedonia has ambitions to join.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on X that she was “deeply saddened about the tragic fire” and that “the EU shares the grief and pain of the people of North Macedonia”.
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Originally published as Aussie woman’s heartfelt plea over nightclub blaze tragedy
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