SKOPJE, March 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Authorities in North Macedonia expanded an ongoing crackdown on nightclubs across the country, officials said, in the wake of a horrific fire that killed 59 people at a concert over the weekend.
The fire, which broke out early Sunday during a hip-hop concert at Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani, killed 59 mostly young people and injured nearly 200.
The blaze appears to have been ignited by the use of fireworks during the performance, which later spread to the roof and triggered a stampede inside the venue.
The incident caused the worst loss of life in the country since 1993, when two deadly plane crashes occurred.
In the tragedy’s wake, officials have vowed swift action against nightclubs and discotheques, after authorities determined that Club Pulse had operated under a forged licence.
Government spokeswoman Marija Miteva said that the latest inspections found numerous irregularities and violations after a dozen businesses were searched in recent days.
The announcement came a day after authorities raided more than 50 locations, with many clubs and discotheques operating without licenses and expired certifications shuttered.
The Interior Minister Pance Toskovski later said that seven police officers had also been detained under suspicion of committing crimes against public safety.
The minister said there was “reasonable doubt” the suspects “caused substantial danger to lives and bodies of people by enabling the venue to operate under substandard conditions”.
Authorities have launched investigations involving numerous suspects in the fire’s wake and have taken more than a dozen people into police custody.
Among the detained included a former minister, inspector and other officials.
Videos posted on social networks and shot before the fire in Club Pulse showed there were “stage fountains” set up — a type of indoor fireworks used during performances.
Other videos showed huge flames emerging from the building, a two-storey white structure in Kocani, a town with 30,000 residents.
The prosecutor’s office later said the club had also violated several fire regulations, including having insufficient extinguishers and emergency exits. — NNN-AGENCIES
