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Dragi Stojanov cries holding a photograph of his son Tomche Stojanov, one of the victims of a massive nightclub fire, during a vigil joined by hundreds in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday. [Armin Durgut\/AP Photo]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
As families gathered outside a hospital for updates, Tomco Stojanov had already been given the devastating news. His 25-year-old son, Andrej, had been killed Sunday in a nightclub fire that left dozens dead, many trampled during a desperate bid to escape.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for your condolences, but my pain is incurable. The wound is incurable,\u201d Stojanov said, holding up a photograph of his son, clean shaven and wearing a suit jacket. \u201cHe died while returning and entering to save other people. And he was pushed, run over, that\u2019s how my son died.\u201d<\/p>\n
North Macedonia is grappling with the loss of dozens of young lives in Sunday\u2019s nightclub inferno in the eastern town of Kocani, while trying to hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity.<\/p>\n
Fire tore through the overcrowded Club Pulse during a live concert, leaving 59 people dead and more than 150 injured from burns, smoke inhalation and being trampled in the panicked escape toward the building\u2019s single exit.<\/p>\n
Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the club\u2019s ceiling and igniting the blaze as a band played.<\/p>\n
The fire that shook the nation of 2 million \u2013 where close-knit extended family bonds made the disaster personal to many \u2013 was the latest in a string of deadly nightclub fires around the world. People as young as 16 were among the casualties, and the nation declared seven days of mourning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all in shock, and I am shocked myself: as a mother, as a person, as a president,\u201d North Macedonian President Gordana Davkova Siljanovska said in an address to the nation Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Safety code violations in the club<\/h3>\n
Authorities say they are investigating allegations of bribery surrounding the nightclub that was crammed with young revelers and at double capacity. And North Macedonia\u2019s government ordered a sweeping three-day inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets across the country, starting Monday.<\/p>\n
State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a preliminary inspection of the nightclub had revealed numerous safety code violations including a lack of emergency exits, an insufficient number of fire extinguishers and improper access for emergency vehicles.<\/p>\n
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe omissions are significant. I can confidently say that this is a failure of the system,\u201d the prosecutor told reporters, also noting the lack of an overhead extinguisher system and fire alarms and the use of flammable materials to line the inside walls.<\/p>\n
The country was in mourning as people watched harrowing scenes in the town of 25,000 people, where rescuers for hours carried out their grim task of removing the charred bodies of clubgoers.<\/p>\n
A state coroner said the bodies were being brought for identification in batches from morgues due to the high number of people killed.<\/p>\n
Neighboring countries provide help<\/h3>\n
Flags around the country have been lowered to half-staff, and the death toll may rise further, with 20 of the injured in critical condition, Health Minister Arben Taravari said.<\/p>\n
Neighboring and nearby countries \u2013 Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey \u2013 along with a number of others have already accepted some 50 patients with the most serious injuries, while several countries are also sending medical teams to North Macedonia, officials said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll patients who have been transferred abroad are currently in stable condition. We hope it stays that way and that we will receive positive news from abroad,\u201d Taravari said.<\/p>\n
Officials said 10 people remain in police custody for questioning in Kocani, some 115 kilometers east of the capital, Skopje. Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski added that a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.<\/p>\n
Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of the hospitalized Pope Francis.<\/p>\n
Late Sunday, Kocani\u2019s residents held a candlelight vigil in support for mourning families, waiting in long lines to light church candles.<\/p>\n
Beti Delovska, an economist from Skopje, said North Macedonia has never experienced a tragedy like this, with dozens of young people vanishing in minutes. And she noted that many young people with bright futures had already left the nation, in search of opportunities elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201c[North] Macedonia is on its death bed,\u201d Delovska said. \u201cWe have no more credible institutions, the health system is completely dismantled, education is poor, judiciary is partisan and corrupted to the bone \u2026 I do believe now that only God can save [North] Macedonia.\u201d [AP]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n