North Macedonia detains former economy minister and ex-officials over licence of Kocani nightclub where 59 died in fire
Subject of this story
What happened
A fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani during a concert in the early hours of March 16, 2025 killed at least 59 people and injured 155. Investigators cited serious safety failures including a single locked exit, no hydrant network and flammable interior materials. Authorities suspect the club's cabaret licence was falsified or corruptly issued: BIRN reported that a document with a ministry stamp and signatures exists but is not in the central licence registry, and reported inconsistent issue dates (March 13, 2024 versus June 2024). On March 17-18, 2025 a court ordered 48-hour detention for former Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi and seven others, including former State Market Inspectorate head Goran Trajkovski and former Protection and Rescue Directorate head Bekim Maksuti. About 20 suspects had been identified. Kocani's mayor resigned and was summoned for information but was not a suspect. No one has been convicted.
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