North Macedonia Mourns 14 Victims Of Covid Hospital Fire

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent

(Worthy News) – North Macedonia has concluded three days of mourning after a deadly fire in a COVID-19 field hospital killed 14 people and injured a dozen.

Over the weekend, hundreds of people marched in silence through the North Macedonia town of Tetovo and kneeled in front of the destroyed hospital. They also placed a wreath and flowers at the site.

The fire broke out last week Wednesday, destroying the facility within a few minutes, killing 12 patients and two visiting relatives. Twelve people were also injured.

The blaze is believed to have started by accident, although an investigation is still underway. It has underscored the ailing healthcare sector in the Balkan nation which gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of what was Yugoslavia.

Nineteen field hospitals, funded by a World Bank loan, have been set up across North Macedonia over the past year to tackle surging coronavirus hospitalizations and a shortage of hospital beds.

“It is difficult to express in words the pain that I feel for the lost lives and the loss of their families,” said Health Minister Venko Filipce.

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