Kocani: Authorities in North Macedonia are appealing for calm as student groups called for fresh protests on Tuesday following the horrific nightclub fire that killed 59 people and injured more than 150 over the weekend.
The disaster, which occurred early on Sunday at Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani after pyrotechnics were used during a concert there, has sparked outrage over alleged corruption and safety violations.
Demonstrations took place Monday in both Kocani and the capital, Skopje, with some turning violent — protesters in Kocani overturned a van and hurled rocks at a municipal building.
“We must call once again for reason,” Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said in an interview with private Sitel television late Monday. “We must allow the prosecuting authorities to do their job so that in the end we can finally normalise the state.”
Investigations have so revealed that the club was operating at at least double its 250-person capacity without proper licensing. Official say there were numerous safety violations — no emergency exits, insufficient fire equipment, the use of flammable cladding and no sprinkler system. Many victims were trampled as panicked concertgoers rushed toward a single exit.
Neighbouring Serbia and Bulgaria, which immediately offered assistance following the tragedy, are observing a day of national mourning Tuesday in solidarity with North Macedonia.