Prosecutors in North Macedonia have filed for the temporary detention of 10 people suspected of responsibility for a nightclub fire on Saturday that killed 59 people.
The fire at an unlicensed club in the eastern town of Kočani broke out during a concert after sparks from stage effects ignited the ceiling. Authorities declared a seven-day period of national mourning over the tragedy.
Three of the 59 fatalities were under 18, as were more than 20 of the 155 people injured, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told a press conference on Sunday.
Over 20 people are under investigation over the incident, 15 of whom are in police custody, Toshkovski said. The premises, described by local media as an “improvised nightclub” in a former carpet warehouse, were operating illegally, Toshkovski said.
“This company does not have a legal license for work,” Toshkovski told reporters, as reported by the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper. “This license, as many other things in [North] Macedonia in the past, is connected with bribery and corruption.”
North Macedonian state news agency MIA reported on Sunday that preliminary inspections had revealed a number of fire-safety shortcomings in the premises, including no sprinkler network, only two fire extinguishers, highly flammable sound-dampening cladding and visual effects materials, and a locked rear door with no interior handle.
As many as 500 revelers were packed into the club, which was illegally using pyrotechnic stage effects during the hip-hop show, authorities said.
The country’s chief prosecutor, Ljupco Kocevski, said on Sunday that work was underway to establish criminal responsibility for crimes against public safety as well as other acts. Among the key aspects under investigation is how the club was allowed to operate.
“Despite the fact the building wasn’t registered as a hospitality building, it possesses a license from the Ministry of Economy to operate as a hospitality building issued 15 years ago,” Kocevski said, adding that a former economy minister was among those being questioned.
North Macedonia’s president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said all those responsible for the tragedy must be held to account.
“Not a single person responsible can be allowed to evade the law, justice and punishment this time,” she said during a public address on Sunday.
“We must never again sacrifice standards and the safety of people for the profit and wealth of individuals,” she added. “Nothing is more valuable than human, and especially young, lives.”
The president went on to express gratitude to nearby countries Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey for taking in some of the injured.
“Good people from the entire region, Europe and the world are with us,” she said. “We will never forget this charitable act. We will be eternally grateful.”
Three of the 59 fatalities were under 18, as were more than 20 of the 155 people injured, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told a press conference on Sunday.
Over 20 people are under investigation over the incident, 15 of whom are in police custody, Toshkovski said. The premises, described by local media as an “improvised nightclub” in a former carpet warehouse, were operating illegally, Toshkovski said.
“This company does not have a legal license for work,” Toshkovski told reporters, as reported by the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper. “This license, as many other things in [North] Macedonia in the past, is connected with bribery and corruption.”
North Macedonian state news agency MIA reported on Sunday that preliminary inspections had revealed a number of fire-safety shortcomings in the premises, including no sprinkler network, only two fire extinguishers, highly flammable sound-dampening cladding and visual effects materials, and a locked rear door with no interior handle.
As many as 500 revelers were packed into the club, which was illegally using pyrotechnic stage effects during the hip-hop show, authorities said.
Criminal responsibility
The country’s chief prosecutor, Ljupco Kocevski, said on Sunday that work was underway to establish criminal responsibility for crimes against public safety as well as other acts. Among the key aspects under investigation is how the club was allowed to operate.
“Despite the fact the building wasn’t registered as a hospitality building, it possesses a license from the Ministry of Economy to operate as a hospitality building issued 15 years ago,” Kocevski said, adding that a former economy minister was among those being questioned.
North Macedonia’s president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said all those responsible for the tragedy must be held to account.
“Not a single person responsible can be allowed to evade the law, justice and punishment this time,” she said during a public address on Sunday.
“We must never again sacrifice standards and the safety of people for the profit and wealth of individuals,” she added. “Nothing is more valuable than human, and especially young, lives.”
The president went on to express gratitude to nearby countries Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey for taking in some of the injured.
“Good people from the entire region, Europe and the world are with us,” she said. “We will never forget this charitable act. We will be eternally grateful.”
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