‘I had a child and I lost it’

Marija Taseva was enjoying one night with her sister at Pulse Club in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday when she hit the disaster.

They were watching DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country, When a fire broke out that killed at least 59 people and wounded another 155.

“Everyone started screaming and shouting ‘leave, salt!'” The 19 -year -old told Reuters.

People tried to escape the flames, but there was only one exit for about 500 people, since the only other door on the back of the place was closed.

“I don’t know how but I ended up on the floor, I couldn’t get up and at that time people began to trample me,” Taseva said.

Finally he managed to reach a safe place, but his sister did not.

“My sister died. I was saved and she didn’t.”

Ten suspects that are believed to be responsible for the fire, including “officials of the ministries who gave this license”, have been arrested.

The fire began around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday when pyrotechnic devices sparks reached the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, said Interior Minister Pance Toskovski.

Described as an “improvised nightclub” by the local press, the place, located in a city about 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, did not have a legal license to operate, said Toskovski.

He had previously been a carpet warehouse, and the police are investigating whether bribery and corruption were linked to fire.

“Most of the dead suffered injuries for the stampede that occurred in panic while trying to leave,” the Kocani Hospital Chief, Kristina Serafimovska told reporters.

“Seventy patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

Vladislav Gruev, a specialist in reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University Clinic of Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors.

“Most of them have extensive burns lesions, more than 18% of the area of ​​the surface body, second and third grade burns in the head, neck, upper torso and upper limbs, hands and fingers,” he said.

Sunday’s inspections showed several “abnormalities” at the scene, including “deficiencies” in the fire enlightened system and lighting, said the spokesman for the Biljana prosecutor’s office Arsovska.

Speaking outside the hospital, the Red Cross volunteer, Mustafa, Shaidav, said that most of those who died were young.

“Within where they are identifying the victims, the situation is much worse. You see that parents are also quite young, at 40. Their children are 18 or 20 years old.”

“The situation is brutal, chaotic, stories are very sad and unfortunately many young lives are lost.”

A man, whose nephew was injured in the fire, said some people have not been able to locate their children.

Many are angry and look for answers, such as Dragi Stojanov, who lost his only son in the fire.

“Let me tell you all. Film.

“After this tragedy, why do I need this life? I don’t need it.

“I had a child and lost it.”

The president of Macedonia del Norte, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said there should be responsibility for what happened.

“None of those responsible this time should avoid law, justice and punishment too,” he said.

“Nothing is worth human life, specifically young life.”

The most severely injured were taken to receive treatment in specialized clinics in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Türkiye, he added.

The Government has declared seven days of national mourning, and will hold an emergency session as part of the ongoing investigations on how the incident was developed.