Powerful storm in Skopje sends over 30 people to hospital

Over 30 citizens were injured yesterday in Skopje as a result of the strong storm that felled trees and various objects, forcing them to seek medical treatment in several hospital centers in the capital.

At the hospital headed by Nebojsha Nastov, since the onset of bad weather, 22 patients were admitted. Of these, two were hospitalized, while the rest received outpatient care for minor injuries. One of the hospitalized patients underwent surgery due to a palm fracture, while the other, a tourist hit by a falling tree, suffered pelvic injuries that did not require surgery but only non-surgical treatment.

Eleven people presented at the University Clinic “St. Naum of Ohrid,” where 9 were treated on an outpatient basis, one patient went to the operating room, and one tourist remained hospitalized for further observation.

Igor Merxhanovski, head of the Clinic for Anesthesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (KARIL), reported that a female patient with head trauma and a fracture of the right cartilage was transferred to the Neurosurgery Clinic for ongoing therapy.

Health Minister Sasho Klekovski provided information on the condition of the injured and the damage caused to hospital structures, which are being repaired. He announced that at the Mother Teresa Clinical Center, specifically at TOARILUC, 11 people from the storm were admitted, three of them with severe fractures receiving appropriate treatment at the clinic. Klekovski added that damages at health centers are also being monitored. At the Clinical Center, a tree fell without causing injuries, while at the psychiatric hospital in Bardovcë, where there were also no casualties, the electricity was cut off for several hours but was later restored.

According to clinic managers, patients presented with cuts and bruises, but their condition was stable. One of them was injured by the collapse of a tree and its branches, another was hit by a metal sheet that flew off the roof, and the third was hurt by falling tiles.