While the families gathered in a hospital to obtain updates, Tomco Stojanov already knew the devastating destiny of his son: Andrej, 25, was killed in the fire club fire that left dead dozens, many flooring during a desperate attempt to escape.
“Thank you for your condolences, but my pain is incurable. The wound is incurable,” said Stojanov, holding a photograph of his son, shaved and with a suit jacket.
“He died as he returned and entered to save other people. And he was pushed, hit, this is how my son died.”
Macedonia del Norte is dealing with the loss of dozens of young lives in Sunday’s nightclub in the eastern city of Kocani, and trying to hold those responsible and avoid another calamity.
The authorities were investigating accusations of bribery that surrounded the fire in the nightclub, which was full of young people of Juerguistas and double capacity.
The videos showed brilliant pyrotechnics on the stage that reached the roof of the club and ignited the fire as a band played.
The tragedy shook the nation of 2 million, where very united extended family ties made the disaster personal for many, it was the last of a series of mortal fires of nightclubs worldwide. People up to 16 years were among the victims, and La Nación declared seven days of mourning.
“We are all in a state of shock, and we are surprised at myself: as a mother, as a person, as president,” said Macedonia president, Gordana Davkova Siljanovska, in a speech to the nation on Sunday night (Monday morning AEDT).
Violations of the Security Code in the Club
The Northern Macedonia government ordered a wide three -day inspection to be carried out in all clubs and cabarets throughout the country, starting on Monday.
The state prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said that a preliminary inspection of the nightclub had revealed numerous violations of the security code, including the lack of emergency exits, an insufficient number of fire extinguishers and inappropriate access for emergency vehicles.
The fire caused the roof of the single -plant building to collapse partially, revealing the carbonized remains of wooden beams and debris.
“The omissions are significant. I can say with confidence that this is a system failure,” the prosecutor told reporters, also pointing out the lack of an extinction system and fire alarms and the use of flammable materials to align the inner walls.
The country was mourning while people looked at heartbreaking scenes in the city of 25,000 people, where rescuers for hours carried out the gloomy task of eliminating carbonized bodies from the club -attending bodies.
A state coroner said that the bodies were being brought for the identification in lots of morgues due to the high number of people killed.
Neighboring countries provide help
The flags throughout the country have been reduced to half a state, and the death toll may increase even more, with 20 of those injured in a critical condition, said Health Minister, Arben Taravari.
Neighboring and close countries, such as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey, have already accepted about 50 patients with the most serious injuries, while several countries also send medical equipment to Macedonia from the North, authorities said.
“All patients who have been transferred abroad are currently under stable.
The authorities said that 10 people remain in police custody to interrogate in Kocani, about 115 kilometers east of the capital, Skopje.
Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski added that a preliminary inspection revealed that the club was operating without an adequate license. He said that the number of people within the club was at least twice as much of their official capacity of 250.
The condolences arrived in leaders from Europe and the office of the hospitalized Pope Francis.
On Sunday, Kocani residents celebrated a vigil in the light of candles in support of mourning families, waiting in long lines to the candle of the light church.
Beti Delovska, a Skopje economist, said Macedonia del Norte has never experienced a tragedy like this, with dozens of young people disappearing in minutes.
And he pointed out that many young people with brilliant futures had already abandoned the nation, in search of opportunities in other places.
“(North) Macedonia is on his deathbed,” said Delovska.
“We have no more credible institutions, the health system is completely dismantled, education is poor, the judiciary is partisan and corrupted to the bones … I believe now that only God can save (north) Macedonia.”
