The death toll from a nightclub fire in the eastern North Macedonian town of Kočani has risen to 62 after another patient died from severe injuries sustained in the blaze, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
Stojanče Stefanov, born in 2001 and originally from Kočani, passed away earlier in the day at the Military Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade, where he had been receiving intensive treatment since the night of the fire, according to the ministry. He had suffered burns covering 27% of his body and critical lung damage from smoke inhalation.
“From day one, the patient was assessed as critically injured and was transferred to the VMA in Belgrade, where he was intubated and placed on ECMO life support,” the ministry said in a statement. Despite undergoing surgery on April 4, Stefanov remained in unstable condition for much of his hospitalization.
The fire broke out in the early hours of March 16 at the crowded Pulse nightclub in Kočani, killing dozens of young people and injuring nearly 200. It has since become one of the most devastating incidents in North Macedonia’s recent history.
Forty-five people are currently being treated in foreign hospitals. Two of them remain in serious condition, Deputy Health Minister Jovica Andovski told reporters. Additional patients are being transferred between clinics in North Macedonia, Greece, and Serbia, as their conditions evolve.
The tragedy has sparked public outrage and raised concerns over regulatory oversight. Prosecutors are investigating 52 individuals and three companies for alleged systemic failures that contributed to the scale of the disaster. Among those under scrutiny are current and former government officials. State Prosecutor Ljupčo Kocevski said the investigation could take at least two more months.
The Pulse nightclub had reportedly not been inspected by authorities prior to the fire, prompting further criticism of local institutions and emergency response systems.
