BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2021) North Macedonia's northwestern city of Tetovo has declared a three-day mourning period for the victims of the fire in a hospital for coronavirus patients, Mayor Teuta Arifi said on Thursday.
The fire broke out in the medical facility after 9 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday, when the country was celebrating the 30th anniversary of its independence. The incident left 14 out of 26 patients, who were in the building at the moment of the incident, dead. Earlier on Thursday, the government held an emergency meeting on the matter.
"We will wait for the competent authorities to give a correct assessment and provide official data, as soon as possible [they] will find out the circumstances of this sad case, because of which Tetovo declared mourning," Arifi said on Facebook.
The Tetovo city council made the mourning period three days.
Commenting on media reports that negligence in the hospital's construction could be the reason behind the blaze, the government said that the facility complied with all medical requirements and safety norms, as all COVID-19 hospitals across the country.
