Skopje, 2 January 2026 (MIA) – A two-year-old child died on Friday at the University Clinic for Neurosurgery in Skopje after being hospitalized on New Year's Eve due to severe brain injuries caused by a metallic foreign object, the Clinic told MIA.

“For further interpretations of the incident, we will await the results of the forensic medical examinations and the investigation conducted by the Interior Ministry,” the Clinic said.

The Skopje-based Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered an autopsy on the body earlier on Friday.

In a media statement on Thursday, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said two serious incidents were recorded in the country on New Year’s Eve – a murder of a Turkish national in the Old Skopje Bazaar, and a severely injured two-year-old. Toshkovski said the circumstances around the child’s injury are unknown. 

The Minister said the child’s injury was a result of “a metal fragment that as of this moment cannot be specified in detail”.

“There are multiple theories about how the child was injured. We will inform the public as soon as we determine the reasons for this severe injury,” he said.

MIA file photo