Zagreb, 18 March (Hina/MIA) — Two persons injured in the March 16 nightclub fire in Kochani were transported Tuesday morning for treatment to Zagreb's Sisters of Charity Hospital and another two burn patients are expected to be admitted later in the day, hospital sources said.

The two patients admitted to the hospital's trauma surgery department this morning have burns and inhalation injuries, so ventilators have been secured for mechanical ventilation.

More patients from Kochani are expected to arrive in Zagreb for medical care in Croatian health care institutions.

According to a government announcement, a Croatian Army helicopter will transfer four more patients later in the day.

Croatan Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said Monday that it had been agreed with the Macedonian authorities that Croatian Army helicopters would transport the remaining patients.

As part of the relief effort, the responsibility for admitting the injured Macedonian patients has been assigned to the Sisters of Charity Hospital. Its medical personnel will first evaluate the extent of their burns and other injuries, given the severe physical and psychological trauma they have endured.

The Sisters of Charity Hospital's Trauma Surgery Department was chosen as the treatment center because it has a burn unit, a specialized ward with a dedicated operating room and an intensive care unit. It also houses a tissue bank, where skin grafts necessary for severe burn cases are cultivated.

Doctors will provide an update on the patients' health condition and further treatment plans at a press conference.

The Kochani nightclub fire, which broke out early Sunday morning, killed 59 young people and injured 155.

Authorities in North Macedonia have announced that several dozen people with severe injuries have been transported to neighboring countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia.

Official announcements were made that patients were being transported to Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden. rml/mr