Thousands came together on Thursday, December 21, to mourn the tragic loss of 59 lives in a devastating nightclub fire that occurred at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia. As funerals took place across the country, communities were seen holding portrait photographs of their deceased loved ones, with many shedding tears, both concealed and openly expressed, in recognition of the young lives lost in the blaze.
The deadly incident, which also injured over 160 individuals, including 45 critically, was marked by alarming negligence as the nightclub had illegally secured its operating license. The establishment, converted from a carpet warehouse, was equipped with only a single emergency exit, which was locked during the fire that erupted around 02:30 local time on Sunday. With approximately 500 patrons inside—far exceeding the 250 tickets sold—the situation quickly escalated, igniting outrage among the populace and prompting investigations into local government officials and the venue's management.
Funeral services took place side by side in Kocani's cemetery, where a sense of shared grief enveloped the village of under 30,000 residents. In Skopje, nearly 1,000 people attended the grief-stricken funeral for singer Andrej Gorgieski, who was performing when the fire broke out. In the wake of the tragedy, anger surged as protests against corruption unfolded nationwide, compelling authorities to conduct safety inspections of numerous nightclubs and cafes to address potential violations.
This tragic incident serves not only as a painful reminder of the loss of young lives but also as a critical moment for North Macedonia to confront systemic issues surrounding safety regulations and corruption that have contributed to such calamities in the past.
