Budapest [Hungary], November 20: A major trial opened in North Macedonia's capital Skopje on Wednesday following the devastating nightclub fire in March that killed 63 people and left many more injured.
The proceedings will clarify the extent to which the authorities and nightclub staff were responsible for the disaster in the town of Ko?ani in the north-east of the Balkan republic.
Thirty-five individuals and three companies are facing charges. Fifteen prosecutors were involved in the indictment. Presiding judge Dijana Gruevska-Ilievska expects a trial that could take years, the country's MKD news website reported at the start of the hearing in the courtroom of the Idrizovo prison.
The fire at the Pulse club in Kocani, 100 kilometres east of Skopje, occurred on the night of March 15 after a spark machine used for the stage show ignited the highly flammable ceiling construction.
Fifty-nine people died immediately and four more later succumbed to their burn injuries. A total of around 200 people were injured.
Of these, 115 were transferred abroad with the help of the European Union and others, as North Macedonia's hospitals were overwhelmed by the complex treatment of such severe burns.
Initial investigations had already revealed that fire safety regulations were not complied with and that there were doubts about the legality of the premises' operating licence.
Thousands of people in Skopje took to the streets on several occasions to express their anger at the authorities. They suspect corruption was a contributing factor in the tragedy.
Source: Qatar Tribune
