Pope Francis has offered his ‘profound condolences’ for the victims of a nightclub fire in North Macedonia which has killed 59 people.
A fire broke out at the Pulse club in Kocani, 100 kilometres east of the capital Skopje, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Around 1,500 people were attending a concert at the nightclub when the fire started.
The director of the Kocani General Hospital, where many fire victims were initially taken, said that most of the injured are aged 14 to 24. Many suffered from burns and carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Pope wrote a message on a telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, addressed to the Bishop Kiro Stojanov of Skopje.
He remains in hospital while he recovers from pneumonia and was pictured for the first time today since he was admitted last month.
In the message, Pope Francis assures ‘his remembrance in prayer for those who lost their lives’ and invokes the Lord’s ‘comfort for those suffering’ from the consequences of such a difficult hardship.
Social media footage showed huge flames engulfing the nightclub, with large plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
Pope Francis, 88, offered his condolences to the victims of the nightclub fire in North Macedonia
At least 59 young partygoers were killed and another 155 injured in the fatal blaze
The nightclub, following a fire resulting in casualties, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia
Clips from inside the venue showed the use of two pyrotechnics during the performance, known as stage jets – a type of indoor fireworks used during concerts.
Very shortly after their deployment flames are clearly visible above the band, which quickly spread.
As the flames began to engulf the venue, hundreds frantically ran towards the exits.
Minister of the interior Pance Toskovski said the fire was probably caused by sparks from the pyrotechnics hitting the ceiling, which was made of a highly flammable material.
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, called it a ‘difficult and very sad day’ and asked for unity and support for the families of the victims and the injured while the government determines the cause of the fire.
According to witnesses, several people were subsequently crushed to death during a ‘stampede’, Skopje-based radio station Lider reported.
The wounded were transported to the local hospital in the town and to facilities in the town of Stip, 30 kilometres to the south, while helicopters ferried some of the injured to hospitals in the capital Skopje.
The director of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimova, said 30 people were being treated for injuries at the hospital while another 60 were being transferred to another health facility, news site Klix Vijesti reported.
On Sunday night, crowds gathered for a candlelight vigil to those who lost their lives in the tragedy
As the performance unfolds, a small patch of flames become visible on the venue’s ceiling
Flames rapidly spread across the ceiling of the nightclub as terrified concertgoers watch on
The message from the Pope comes after he was pictured for the first time since he was admitted to hospital, celebrating a mass in his prayer room.
The leader of the Catholic church had not been seen since he was admitted at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in February.
Just a week later, the Pontiff’s condition was described as critical as it was reported he required breathing assistance.
The Pope’s condition is now stable amid a continuing battle with pneumonia and onset kidney failure.
Earlier today the Pope issued his prayer from his hospital bed, saying he faces a ‘period of trial’.
It is the fifth week in a row that the Pontiff has had to issue the prayer as a written text as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
However his age and lack of mobility means that he remains in a physically vulnerable state.
Pope Francis concelebrates Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli hospital
A statement from the Vatican said: ‘This morning Pope Francis concelebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the 10th floor of the Policlinico Gemelli.’
In his prayer, The 88-year-old also took time to pay thanks to the medical staff who have been treating him during his latest sickness.
He said: ‘How much light shines, in this sense, in hospitals and places of care!
‘How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!’
Recent reports have suggested an improvement in the state of the Pope’s health following his treatment for double pneumonia.
The Argentina-born religious figurehead has chronic lung disease and still requires hospital care, but is in a ‘stable’ condition and showing ‘gradual improvements,’ Vatican News reported.
Francis has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.
He had not been seen in public since entering hospital and his doctors have not said how long the treatment might last.
Doctors not involved in Francis’s care have said the Pope is likely to face a long, fraught road to recovery, given his age and other factors.
A new statement issued by the Holy See Press Office yesterday evening said the pontiff’s condition ‘remains stable’ and showed signs of ‘gradual improvements’
The pontiff was initially hospitalized on Valentine’s Day for a bad case of bronchitis.
The infection then progressed into a complex respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia that has sidelined the Pope for the longest period of his 12-year papacy.
Pope Francis, who is well-known as a controversial advocate for social justice, also sent words of hope to nations around the world beset by military conflict.
The pontiff offered prayers to ‘countries wounded by war…tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.’
