Distressed residents of Kocani stand in line to light candles for dozens of victims of nightclub fire

Photo: Mateja Beljan

A large number of people gathered last night in the central park in Kocani, a town in North Macedonia, and were patiently standing in line to light candles, kiss the icon and leave a contribution.

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These are the photos of the sad, tearful faces of the nightclub fire victims' fellow citizens, relatives and friends.

The atmosphere in the city is grim, with people engulfed in disbelief and sadness.

Only a few voices can be heard heard, most are silent as if they are trying to drive away the pain and deal with the gloomy reality.

At least 59 people died in a fire that broke out in the night between Saturday and Sunday in the Pulse night club in Kocani.

The youngest victim was only 14 years old. At least 1,500 people were injured and taken to hospitals in Kocani, Stip and Skopje. At the time the fire broke out, a band called DNA was on stage. Some of its members were among those who died, while the injured were taken to hospitals.

There were at least 500 people in the nightclub when the fire started. Videos are circulating on the internet showing people partying as sprinklers are activated near the stage. At one point, the sparks started reaching the ceiling, which then caught on fire.

The panicked guests tried to put out the blaze that was engulfing the roof with lightning speed.

According to North Macedonia's interior minister, the owner of the nightclub had a forged operating permit for the venue. So far, 15 people have been detained, including government officials, while some of the suspects were injured in the fire and are currently hospitalized. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of four more persons.

Witnesses of the horror say that what they saw was extremely shocking.

Serbia has declared March 18 a day of mourning for the Kocani victims.

Serbia on Sunday also sent medical teams and helicopters, which during the evening transported a number of seriously injured people from North Macedonia to Belgrade:

(Telegraf.rs)