FLASH
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59 dead and over 150 injured – this is the tragic result of the fire in the town of Kocani in North Macedonia. Decades of lawlessness and corruption led to this unprecedented tragedy.
"Murderers, murderers", "We demand justice" - the citizens of Kocani in North Macedonia are outraged after the accident at the Pulse nightclub, where 59 people lost their lives. To vent their anger, they also destroyed a cafe belonging to the nightclub owner and attacked his logistics company, breaking windows and damaging a vehicle and furniture.
Hundreds of angry demonstrators also gathered in front of the city hall to demand explanations and consequences. Under the shock of the disaster caused by the fire and pressure from angry citizens, the mayor, Ljupco Papazov, resigned.
But the disaster analysis process has only just begun. Experts say the causes of the fire are complex and linked to decades of corruption and disregard for laws and regulations.
Greed kills.
The dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Skopje, Goran Markovski, hopes that the tragic incident will bring about a change in public awareness and responsibility. He told national broadcaster TV24 that the discotheque had neither an automatic fire extinguishing system, nor an automatic power cut-off system, nor emergency exits. According to Markovski, the discotheque owner wanted to save costs on security measures.
"Greed is now killing even our children. 70 to 80 percent of the facilities used for such purposes in North Macedonia do not comply with the relevant regulations," Markovski said.
"Erosion of the system"
Experts are convinced that the incident could have been avoided if the rules had been followed. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski confirmed that the nightclub did not have a valid operating license. Added to this is the fact that the roof structure was made of wood and asbestos - and underneath it was a mixture of sponge and fabric, which caused the fire to spread within seconds.
"During the construction of the facility, there were improvisations," Vladimir Simonovski, deputy chief of the Skopje fire department, told local media.
Public opinion in North Macedonia is seething with anger over the flagrant disregard for legal regulations, the rise of corruption and the system dominated by the country's two main parties. Describing the situation, prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said that a "complete erosion of the system" prevails in North Macedonia.
In Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, North Macedonia was ranked 88th out of 180 in 2024. This represents a deterioration compared to 2023, when North Macedonia was ranked 74th.
Experts call for change
Goran Markovksi from the University of Skopje says that "In every accident case, it turns out that there are problems with documentation and permits, so it is obvious that the system has weaknesses." The disco in Kocani should never have been allowed to operate for such a long period without the appropriate safety measures.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who went to the scene of the accident along with Interior Minister Toskovski, warned that all those responsible will be brought to justice.
"What happened is more than criminal activity," the head of government said the day after the accident in Skopje. "I would call it a mass murder that was allowed to happen by someone - because of money, because of corruption.
Without change, such disasters will repeat themselves.
The director of the Institute for Democracy in Skopje, Marko Trosanovski, says corruption is the modus operandi in Macedonian society. "The whole system is built on clientelism, so it is not based on regulated procedures, but on bribes and other interests," he told DW in an interview. "Corruption is widespread, from teachers in schools who turn a blind eye and give good grades to inspectors who issue a permit for a nightclub that does not meet the criteria at all.
The result is tragedies like the Kocani disaster. Trosanovski believes that such disasters will be repeated if nothing changes in North Macedonia. "We need public awareness and a change in political culture so that political parties appoint people with integrity instead of loyalists.
Citizens of North Macedonia are calling for a swift and efficient investigation into the case and the punishment of the perpetrators. There are currently 23 people suspected of being involved in the Pulse nightclub tragedy. Among them is a former minister, a state secretary and heads of various authorities. It is learned that they issued licenses and permits for the disco./DW
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