The Government of North Macedonia has declared a seven-day mourning period for the deaths of at least 59 people who died in a fire that broke out in a discotheque in Kočani. More than 20 people are suspected of the fire, and the Government has decided to activate a mechanism to request international assistance.
“Everyone should comply with the decision because the penalties for disobedience will be rigorous. In the coming days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will open a book of condolences within the ministry due to the great accident that occurred,” they stated.
Also, at the Government session, a decision was made that obliges the State Market Inspectorate to conduct an extraordinary inspection of catering facilities in the Republic of North Macedonia in the next three days, and to immediately inform the Government of the findings of the inspection, in order to determine the real situation and whether they operate according to standards and meet the requirements in accordance with the laws and regulations of the country.
The Government said that no one is above the law, and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, in this tragic event there are no words that can ease the pain of irreparable loss,” they said.
They emphasized that in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other competent institutions, material evidence is being collected to fully clarify the case, and that all those who participated in this tragic event and knowingly contributed to endangering human lives will be brought to the competent judicial bodies and held accountable.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, Panče Toškovski, stated that the discotheque “Puls” did not have a legal license to operate, but that he would not like to reveal more details because the investigation is in its early stages, but that “this license, like many other things in the past in North Macedonia, is connected to bribery and corruption.”
“Around 15 (suspected) people are in the police station. Some of those suspected of causing this criminal event have died, according to the suspicions we have so far, and some are in the hospital. Four people are in the hospital – two members of the band (DNK), the son of the disco owner and the manager of the legal entity that was the disco manager,” said Toškovski.
According to him, “some of the detained people who are currently in the police station are people who are directly responsible for the fire in the disco, according to the evidence that has been collected so far.”
“One person who organized the event and whom we suspect is one of the directly responsible has been detained. The former state secretary at the Ministry of Economy, the former head of a sector at the Ministry of Economy, the former director of the Protection and Rescue Directorate and three employees of that directorate have also been detained,” said Toškovski.
According to Toškovski, police officers from Skopje have interviewed more than 25 eyewitnesses to the event and will continue to collect evidence.
So far, according to him, it has been determined that more than 25 minors were injured and three minors died, that “according to initial information, there were around 500 people in the disco, and that around 250 tickets were sold”.
“22 people are in critical condition and some will be transported by plane to Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece”, said the Minister of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia.
