Officials investigate bribery and corruption after 59 dead in North Macedonian nightclub fire

A nightclub was operating at least double its official capacity when a fire broke out and killed at least 59 people in North Macedonia, authorities have revealed.

15 people have been arrested after officials found Club Pulse in the town of Kocani was operating without a proper licence on Sunday.

“We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case,” the country’s Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said.

It is believed pyrotechnics caused the roof to catch fire at around 2.30am on Sunday, during a pop concert.

About 155 are injured. It is feared the death toll could rise as 20 of the injured are in a critical condition, the government official said.

Police officers at the scene of the deadly fire at Club Pulse nightclub in North Macedonia.
Credit: AP
At the time, the club was believed to be operating at least double its official capacity of 250.

Videos showed chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape.

It left mostly young people dead and injured due to burns, smoke inhalation and a stampede. Children as young as 16 were among the casualties.

Marija Taseva, 19, who suffered an injury to her face and lost her sister, said: “We even tried to get out through the bathroom, only to find bars (on the windows).

“I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me. … I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.”