Kocani Nightclub Inferno Exposes Corruption in North Macedonia

Fifty-nine people, including six minors, were killed and nearly 200 injured in a catastrophic fire that engulfed Club Pulse during a hip-hop concert in Kocani, North Macedonia, last Sunday.

The blaze—sparked by fireworks igniting a flammable ceiling—triggered a deadly stampede in the overcrowded venue, which had been operating illegally under a forged license.

Marking the Balkan nation’s deadliest disaster since 1993, the tragedy has exposed systemic corruption and lax safety enforcement, with 28 suspects, including police officers and officials, now in custody.

Under a cloudless sky, thousands gathered at Kocani’s cemetery on Thursday as Archbishop Stefan, head of the Orthodox Church, led somber funeral rites for victims aged as young as 15. “No words can console such loss,” he told mourners, many collapsing in grief.

The town, home to just 28,000 residents, has been left reeling by the decimation of an entire generation. “Kocani is dead now. These young people were our future,” one local said, amid makeshift memorials plastered with victims’ photos on trees and storefronts.

Anger simmers over revelations that Club Pulse operated for years without proper oversight. Mitko Petrusev, 65, voiced widespread fury: “Corruption plunders this country. Everyone in power steals, then leaves. Nothing works.” Investigators confirmed the club’s license was forged, and despite selling 250 tickets, over 500 attendees were crammed inside—a fatal oversight.

“This was preventable,” said Nikola, a mourner in his twenties who lost friends. “Those responsible must pay.”

North Macedonia’s public prosecutor, Ljupco Kocevski, announced 18 suspects are in pre-trial detention, including seven police officers, while three others remain hospitalized.

The government has vowed to audit all nightclubs, but critics argue the crackdown is too late. “Swift action should’ve come before lives were lost,” said a Skopje-based NGO director.

The Kocani fire underscores how corruption and negligence can turn entertainment hubs into death traps. As funerals continue across six cities, the disaster has become a rallying cry for systemic reform in a nation grappling with decades of institutional decay.