North Macedonian authorities blamed corruption for Saturday’s deadly nightclub fire that killed 59 people and injured more than 150, most of them young concertgoers. The blaze at Club Pulse in Kočani has raised concerns about safety violations and regulatory failures.
The fire broke out at 2:35 a.m. during a concert by the local band DNK, after flares lit onstage shot toward the ceiling and ignited the blaze. A video taken by an attendee shows the band playing moments before the flares erupted.
Prime Minister Christian Mickoski called the tragedy a “mass murder” caused by “money, bribes, and corruption.”
“There is no politics here. All of you who dared to conduct politics in this way will be held accountable,” Mickoski stated on X, criticizing television programs for assigning blame before the investigation concluded. He vowed to prosecute those responsible, regardless of “who they are, from which institution, from what level, from which party, or profession they come.”
The investigation is focused on allegations that the club was operating without proper permits and at double its legal capacity. Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said at a news conference that more than 20 people, including the club’s manager and some former government officials, have been arrested.
Public outrage has grown in Kočani and beyond, turning solemn vigils into tense protests. Demonstrators gathered outside municipal offices and marched to the police station, chanting “We demand justice!” Some threw stones at government buildings, overturned vehicles, and set fire to the home of the club owner. Grieving relatives held up photos of their loved ones, demanding answers.
Social media has amplified calls for transparency, with questions mounting over how the club operated without a proper license.
Police and forensic investigators have sealed off the scene. North Macedonia’s public prosecutor, Ljupco Kocevski, said five prosecutors are leading the investigation.
