A week of mourning has been declared in North Macedonia following the tragedy in Kočani, where eight individuals have been placed in custody. The medical condition of the injured is under careful observation, with some being transferred to nearby countries for treatment.

State Public Prosecutor Ljupčo Kočevski announced last night that he would seek short-term detention for ten individuals, but soon after, the prosecution indicated it would request this for eleven individuals, with verification procedures already in progress. Detention hearings are taking place this morning at the Basic Court in Kočani, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Additional measures in response to the fire at the Puls disco in Kočani, which resulted in 59 fatalities and over 150 injuries, will be disclosed later today. North Macedonia has officially entered a period of seven days of mourning due to this tragedy.

“A request for short-term detention has already been submitted for eight individuals, while the remaining three are still hospitalized in critical condition. The proceedings regarding them will continue as soon as their health improves. The inquiry into the accountability of several individuals remains ongoing,” the Prosecutor’s Office reported.

The investigation into the tragedy will persist today. The current team of six prosecutors will be bolstered by an additional three to five, as prosecutor Kočevski indicated that this is a complicated case.

14 injured in Bulgaria

As the relevant institutions investigate all factors leading to the tragedy, the health status of over 20 of the most seriously injured individuals — who were transferred to hospitals in neighboring countries last night — is being meticulously monitored.

“The condition of the injured from North Macedonia is severe,” stated Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski regarding patients admitted to Sofia’s Pirogov Hospital.

The injured were flown to Sofia yesterday by a Bulgarian Air Force “Spartan” aircraft.

“Bulgaria has committed to treating 14 patients. Eight will receive care at the Pirogov Hospital,” Gabrovski confirmed.

Five patients, aged between 22 and 25, arrived last night, with three of them placed on ventilators.

“The patients’ conditions are critical; we cannot provide further details as they have just been admitted. We are striving to treat them,” Bulgarian media quoted Gabrovski saying.

Three additional individuals under the age of 21 were admitted after 5 PM. Dr. Valentin Dimitrov, director of the Pirogov Hospital, mentioned this morning that all were brought in critically injured. Moreover, three injured individuals were transported to Plovdiv and another three to Varna.

Expressions of condolences for the deceased were offered yesterday by the Bulgarian state leadership, all political parties, and Bulgarian Patriarch Danil, who communicated with Archbishop Stefan of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric via phone. Citizens, including the former Bulgarian Ambassador to Macedonia, Angel Angelov, expressed their sympathies at the Macedonian Embassy in Sofia with moments of silence, flowers, and candles.

Two people underwent surgery in Thessaloniki last night

Greek media have extensively covered the tragedy in North Macedonia, showcasing footage of a Macedonian ambulance arriving at Thessaloniki’s Papanikolaou Hospital with three injured individuals. Two young women and a man, aged 19, 25, and 26, have been hospitalized since yesterday afternoon, classified as “very serious cases” due to severe burns sustained in the fire. They were urgently transferred to the burns unit of the Plastic Surgery Clinic, where two underwent their initial surgeries last night. One was operated on around 8 PM, followed immediately by the second.

“Three intubated young patients have been admitted to the Papanikolaou Burns Unit, and their conditions are being closely monitored by both the unit’s medical professionals and the intensive care unit staff,” the media reported.

According to official sources, should it be necessary, Greece is prepared to accommodate 18 injured individuals — either at Papanikolaou Hospital or the military hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki.

12 injured transported to Belgrade

Serbia has also extended its support, dispatching a military aircraft that transported 12 injured persons last night to the Military Medical Academy and the Clinical Center of Serbia. Additionally, four doctors and medical technicians from Serbia have arrived in Skopje via plane to assist with the medical evacuation of the injured.

Furthermore, two more injured persons were previously transferred by military ambulances to the Military Hospital at the Clinical Center in Niš. To further assist the injured in North Macedonia, two doctors from the Military Medical Academy — a plastic surgeon and an anesthesiologist — along with one medical technician, are slated to remain in Skopje.

Turkey has already dispatched two medical evacuation aircraft, with additional flights anticipated from multiple countries today.

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