Total tragedy struck in North Macedonia, and it’s literally the worst thing ever. So, early Sunday morning—like, 2:35 a.m.—this super popular nightclub called Pulse in Kočani went up in flames, and it was, like, absolute chaos. At least 59 people lost their lives, and over 150 were injured, and it’s just beyond heartbreaking. Apparently, there was this hip-hop duo, DNK, performing, and some pyrotechnic effects went off, and boom—the ceiling caught fire. And because the club was, like, way over capacity, people were just packed in there, and the panic was unreal.
Rescue teams had the hardest time getting to everyone because the fire spread so fast, and so many people were stuck inside. The hospitals are, like, totally overwhelmed, with 155 people being treated, many critically injured, and some were even flown to other countries because their burns were just that bad. The whole situation is, like, so awful, and people are demanding answers because, apparently, the club didn’t even have a proper license or fire safety measures. Like, hello? Where were the fire extinguishers? The emergency exits? It’s giving major negligence.
And get this—15 people have been arrested, including the club owner and some former government officials. Like, excuse me? Turns out there might have been some shady business going on with safety inspections and permits, which is just beyond disgusting. People are absolutely furious because this was so preventable. And in the saddest news ever, this 25-year-old soccer player, Andrej Lazarov, literally died trying to save other people. Like, an actual hero.
This whole thing is reminding people of that nightclub fire in Romania back in 2015, where so many people died because of, like, the same kind of reckless safety violations. And now North Macedonia is in mourning for seven days, and the government is promising a full investigation, but like, justice better actually happen because this is just way too tragic.
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Photo from: CBC
Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
