The Republic of North Macedonia is in seven days of mourning. The town of Kočani, where a fire in a disco club took the lives of at least 59 people – mostly young people and children, aged 14 to 25 – is shrouded in silence today. "The vigil continued for hours in the garden in the center of the city. Thousands of candles burned for the people in the disco-coffin. Then everything went quiet," BNR reporter Keti Trencheva said.

Witnesses to the horror in the disco are Sandra, Victoria and Angela – 17-year-old girls who went to watch the concert of their favourite rappers DNK. They were saved by the luck that they were close to the only door in the disco, which served as both entrance and exit. "This is indescribable! The fire started in front of us," the girls say:

"People were on fire in front of us. First we were told to stay and that the fire will be put out. Then they said: 'Run!'".

There is only one door and it is very small. People were stepping on each other. There were dead people everywhere. Our friends died, others are fighting for their lives, we have been in the church since morning to pray."

The young people found out that the disco did not have a regular license, nor a license to use pyrotechnics, and they insist that the institutions take responsibility:

"I want someone to take responsibility, this cannot be forgotten, many people died because of someone's mistakes. Many innocent victims! They went to this event to have fun and now they will never return."

In the hospital in Kočani, mourning became a fact before it was announced by the authorities, the BNR reporter says. "Mothers screamed at the loss of their children; fathers cried and accused anyone who got in their way with a microphone. A living chain blocked the path of the authorities who wanted to transfer the bodies of the deceased for autopsy - the parents would not give their children, even though they were dead."

A mother who lost her only child cannot accept the explanation that the state would be able to help them financially:

"I had one child and he is no longer here. Why? Why? Those in the National Assembly are to blame. They take money every day but I hope they would not see any good from their salaries, I had one child and they took him away from me!!!"

Immediately after the information about the tragedy, Zoran Todorov, co-chairman of the organization for friendship between Bulgaria, the Republic of North Macedonia and Slovenia, which unites Rotary clubs in the region, responded to help the relatives of the deceased on the spot. His colleagues from all over Southeast Europe are conducting a campaign to collect medicines. It turned out that on the night of the tragedy there was a shortage of oxygen in the hospital in Kočani and people were dying for this reason as well. "Now we are mourning and experiencing the grief of this huge loss. But in a week, one can expect anger, he says, insisting that people's questions receive clear answers:

"We do not know how to deal with the immense sadness in our city. We thank all our friends from all countries and from Bulgaria who responded to help us. We will not allow what happened now to be forgotten! We will seek responsibility from everyone who had a hand in this tragedy. Terrible scenes happened there. We did not know that the disco did not have a license. It is not the job of people to look for documents, as citizens hope that the institutions are functioning. We will insist that everything be clarified in detail, as this is an unprecedented tragedy not only for Kočani and North Macedonia, but for the whole Balkans."

Currently, the city of Kočani is shrouded in silence, but underneath it, one can feel that people's anger is growing. 11 people are under investigation journalist Aleksandar Dimitrievski told BNR. He said that the investigative actions are related to accusations of inaction, illegal use of pyrotechnics and bribery. "In North Macedonia, there is no problem with the legislation, the problem is in the implementation of the laws," the journalist said and added:

"The use of pyrotechnics in closed premises is allowed, but it is assumed that there are appropriate permits, licensed people who deal with this. And in this case, none of this was done, the entire work of this club was an improvisation."

Will the pain of the parents and the despair of the people lead to protests in North Macedonia, similar to those that swept across Serbia, also caused by a human tragedy after the collapse of part of the Novi Sad train station?

"It is hard to say, because yesterday began with disbelief, which turned into anger and the evening ended with disappointment, because this is not the only tragedy in the last few years that has happened for similar reasons, i.e. that someone is doing something they shouldn't be doing, or has illegally acquired licenses,” Aleksandar Dimitrievski says. “It is too early to say, there are already some signals of high school students gathering, but it would be speculation on my part to talk about protests. The difference in the situation in North Macedonia is that we have a relatively new government, elected about 9 months ago, so it is difficult to blame it for what is happening. On the other hand, the current government must take moral and political responsibility for the situation in the country."

• Europe mourns the victims of the Koçani tragedy

From 1:30 p.m. at the North Macedonian embassy in Sofia, Bulgarian citizens can express their sympathy with the families who lost their children in the Kočani disco. The special book of condolences in memory of the victims of the fire will be open for the next five days.

"The book of condolences will be open for the institutions, the diplomatic corps and the people," the Ambassador of North Macedonia, Agneza Rusi Popovska, told the Bulgarian National Radio. She thanked Bulgaria for the quick response, as well as the medical teams caring for the victims in the hospitals in Sofia, Plovdiv and Star Zagora.

"I would like to express my gratitude in particular to the medical staff. Our contacts with the doctors in all three hospitals are truly an example of solidarity and professionalism in moments filled with pain," the ambassador said.

Compiled by: E. Karkalanova, based on interviews by Keti Trencheva and Diana Doncheva

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos:BTA, BGNES, Reuters