Two people injured in the deadly nightclub fire in North Macedonia will be sent to Poland for treatment, the Polish health ministry has said.
The patients will be taken to the Eastern Center for Burn Treatment and Reconstructive Surgery in Łęczna, a town near the eastern city of Lublin.
Several countries have come to the aid of the Balkan nation since the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Sunday, killing 59 and injuring over 150 people.
“Transport of the patients will be carried out later today by the Air Ambulance Service,” Poland’s health ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday.
A fierce blaze ripped through the packed venue in the town of Kočani, located around 100 km east of the North Macedonian capital Skopje, after sparks from fireworks ignited the roof as a hip-hop band called DNK performed.
Most of those killed were teens or young adults. Two members of DNK are among the deceased, news agency AFP reported.
The disaster provoked a flurry of anger on the ground in Kočani and further afield as allegations of corruption and safety breaches emerged.
Protests on Monday turned violent, with youths attacking a café believed to belong to the owner of the club. With further demonstrations expected, the country’s interior ministry has issued a call for calm.
Workers from Kočani’s local council were seen using excavators to dig rows of graves on Tuesday, as the town awaits a wave of burials. One man told the AP press agency that he’d been crying for three days.
“Children of our friends are gone,” he said. “It can’t be worse than this, for Macedonia and for our city.”
Dozens of injured clubbers have been sent abroad for treatment, with several European countries stepping up to help the North Macedonian authorities.
Neighboring Serbia and Bulgaria have taken in the greatest number of patients, but some have been sent further afield.
The European Commission said on Monday that the first victims had been evacuated to Hungary with support from Luxembourg, and that Romania has helped transport individuals to Lithuania.
“The European Union remains in close contact with the national authorities in North Macedonia and stands ready to mobilize more assistance if needed,” the commission’s spokesperson Eva Hrnčířová said.
Medical teams from Serbia, the Czech Republic and Israel were also expected to arrive in the country to help out.
Several countries have come to the aid of the Balkan nation since the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Sunday, killing 59 and injuring over 150 people.
“Transport of the patients will be carried out later today by the Air Ambulance Service,” Poland’s health ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday.
A fierce blaze ripped through the packed venue in the town of Kočani, located around 100 km east of the North Macedonian capital Skopje, after sparks from fireworks ignited the roof as a hip-hop band called DNK performed.
Most of those killed were teens or young adults. Two members of DNK are among the deceased, news agency AFP reported.
The disaster provoked a flurry of anger on the ground in Kočani and further afield as allegations of corruption and safety breaches emerged.
Protests on Monday turned violent, with youths attacking a café believed to belong to the owner of the club. With further demonstrations expected, the country’s interior ministry has issued a call for calm.
Workers from Kočani’s local council were seen using excavators to dig rows of graves on Tuesday, as the town awaits a wave of burials. One man told the AP press agency that he’d been crying for three days.
“Children of our friends are gone,” he said. “It can’t be worse than this, for Macedonia and for our city.”
International help for victims
Dozens of injured clubbers have been sent abroad for treatment, with several European countries stepping up to help the North Macedonian authorities.
Neighboring Serbia and Bulgaria have taken in the greatest number of patients, but some have been sent further afield.
The European Commission said on Monday that the first victims had been evacuated to Hungary with support from Luxembourg, and that Romania has helped transport individuals to Lithuania.
“The European Union remains in close contact with the national authorities in North Macedonia and stands ready to mobilize more assistance if needed,” the commission’s spokesperson Eva Hrnčířová said.
Medical teams from Serbia, the Czech Republic and Israel were also expected to arrive in the country to help out.
