North Macedonia appeals for calm as nightclub fire deaths trigger protests
People confront police near the home of the owner of a nightclub that was the scene of a massive fire, after a vigil for the victims in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia on Mar 17, 2025. (Photo: AP/Visar Kryeziu)
KOCANI, North Macedonia: Authorities in North Macedonia are appealing for calm as student groups called for fresh protests on Tuesday (Mar 18) following the horrific nightclub fire that killed 59 people and injured more than 150 over the weekend.
The disaster, which occurred early on Sunday at Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani after pyrotechnics were used during a concert there, has sparked outrage over alleged corruption and safety violations.
Demonstrations took place Monday in both Kocani and the capital, Skopje, with some turning violent - protesters in Kocani overturned a van and hurled rocks at a municipal building. “We must call once again for reason,” Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said in an interview with private Sitel television late on Monday.
“We must allow the prosecuting authorities to do their job so that in the end we can finally normalise the state.”
Investigations have so revealed that the club was operating at at least double its 250-person capacity without proper licensing.
Officials say there were numerous safety violations - no emergency exits, insufficient fire equipment, the use of flammable cladding and no sprinkler system. Many victims were trampled as panicked concertgoers rushed toward a single exit.
Neighboring Serbia and Bulgaria, which immediately offered assistance following the tragedy, are observing a day of national mourning on Tuesday in solidarity with North Macedonia.
At least 59 people were killed and 155 injured in a nightclub in North Macedonia after a fire ripped through the overcrowded location on Sunday (Mar 16). The blaze was allegedly started by on-stage fireworks during a hip-hop performance.
Medical specialists from the Czech Republic, Serbia, and Israel have arrived to support treatment efforts for the injured, Health Ministry official said. And the European Union is helping transport burn victims to nearby countries.
Around 50 patients are being treated in mostly neighboring and nearby countries, the majority of them with serious burns.
The disaster has intensified scrutiny of corruption in North Macedonia, which the EU has previously identified as a major obstacle to the country’s accession to the bloc. Authorities are investigating allegations that club owners bribed officials to bypass safety regulations.
The government has ordered nationwide inspections of all nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
