Thousands gather to remember victims of deadly club fire in North Macedonia

The fire spread rapidly at Club Pulse, where more than 500 people were inside, leading to the deaths of 59 people.

DESPAIR MIXED WITH anger in Kocani, North Macedonia today in the wake of a horrific nightclub fire that left dozens dead and even more injured, prompting demands for justice.

Thousands of people have gathered in Kocani and in the capital city of Skopje, holding several minutes of silence for the victims, who are due to start to be buried tomorrow.

Kocani is a town of just 30,000 people and the deaths of 59 people — most of them teenagers and young adults — touched almost every home in some way, with the agony of losing so many young people cutting especially deep.

“We are a small place. We all know each other,” Sasko Jordanov, a 38-year-old dentist in Kocani, told AFP. “I am a doctor and have many patients dead, children of friends and neighbours.”

“I have children — their friends died. This is horrible,” said a woman as she lit candles at a shrine, where others left flowers and messages of condolence.

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The fire rapidly spread as a crowd of young fans packed into Club Pulse to attend the performance by a popular hip-hop band, DNK.

The blaze was apparently started by fireworks onstage igniting the ceiling of the nightclub.

More than 500 people were crammed inside despite just 250 tickets being sold, according to officials.

Many of those killed were trampled as they rushed to the exits, while the roof was consumed with flames.

The prosecutor’s office said the club had breached numerous fire regulations, including having insufficient extinguishers and emergency exits.

Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said investigators had determined the club owner operated under a forged licence and vowed to crackdown on corruption.

At a press conference today, Toskovski said that he would replace local police in nearby towns of Veles and Shtip with officers from the capital Skopje to ensure the probe into the blaze remained impartial.

“This decision does not imply any guilt but is a step to guarantee that the process proceeds without pressure, suspicion, or undue influence,” he said.

Toskovski said that all the victims had been identified and that 16 suspects remained in custody over the blaze, with investigators having questioned 72 witnesses.

Some 196 were hurt as a result of the fire, including 20 children, he said.

The tragedy triggered a widening criminal investigation as authorities vowed that arrests were imminent.

As thousands have gathered to pay their respects across North Macedonia, sadness has quickly turned to anger, with mourners voicing discontent and frustration at the state.

In Kocani on Monday, protesters took to the streets, while others attacked a cafe allegedly owned by the same proprietor as Club Pulse, throwing rocks and breaking windows as police struggled to maintain order.