Bulgaria Provides Medical Aid for Kocani Fire Victims, Hospital Appeals for Blood Donations

Fourteen victims of the devastating fire at a disco in Kocani, North Macedonia, have been transported to Bulgaria for medical treatment. Eight of them have been admitted to Sofia’s Pirogov Hospital, where doctors have made an urgent appeal for blood donations to aid their recovery.

The patients at Pirogov include three children—two girls and one boy—aged 15 and 16. The oldest patient is a 31-year-old man. All eight are in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Burn Clinic, suffering from severe burns and inhalation injuries from toxic fumes. Three of the patients are intubated, while doctors continue to assess the condition of the others before determining the next steps for treatment. According to Pirogov’s director, Dr. Valentin Dimitrov, the patients were in thermal shock for more than a day before receiving specialized care.

Among the injured, three other victims have been transported to Varna’s Naval Hospital. The group includes two boys and a girl, all of whom have been intubated and placed in intensive care. Two are in serious condition, while the third has minor burns. Additionally, three more victims are receiving treatment at the University Hospital in Plovdiv.

The Bulgarian government has offered support to the victims’ families, with the country’s embassy in Skopje stating that arrangements have been made to transport close relatives of the injured to Bulgaria. Accommodation will also be provided for those who wish to stay near their loved ones receiving treatment in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna.

In a separate development, it has been confirmed that one of the victims of the fire was a student at the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. The university’s president, Dr. Margie Ensin, expressed condolences in a statement, identifying the victim as Stefania Aleksova, a sophomore from Kocani. "We deeply mourn with our North Macedonian friends for this tragedy that has shaken us all," she wrote, urging students to support each other during this difficult time.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria had also deployed military resources to assist in transporting the injured. A Spartan military aircraft airlifted eight victims from North Macedonia to Bulgaria, five of whom are in critical condition and require mechanical ventilation. Three of the more severely burned patients were immediately transferred to Varna’s Military Medical Academy.

Medical teams across Bulgaria continue to monitor the condition of the injured, as doctors emphasize the severity of their burns and respiratory complications. Dr. Dimitrov noted that all of the Pirogov patients have sustained inhalation burns to their upper and lower respiratory tracts, a life-threatening condition that requires intensive medical care.

The tragedy, which claimed 59 lives and left at least 155 injured, has sent shockwaves through North Macedonia and Bulgaria. With dozens still recovering, efforts to provide medical aid and support for the victims and their families remain ongoing.