Protesters miss rage after disaster in northern Macedonia

Thousands of people protested in the northern Macedonian city of Kokani, demanding justice and actions against corruption after 59 people, many of them teenagers, were killed by a nightclub.

“No one should die like that – no one,” a teenager told the BBC. “These children, they had a future, had talents.”

The Pulse nightclub was full of fans watching a DNK, a popular hip-hop group, when Flares sparks apparently put a ceiling patch.

About 20 people have been detained for interrogation about the disaster, including the owner of the nightclub and some former government ministers.

Many of Kokani believe that corruption has allowed the improvised place to work with inadequate safety measures.

Relatives of children who are still missing are in line outside the hospital to give DNA samples to help identify.

Kokani, a city of about 25,000 people, is located about 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital, Skopje.

More than 160 people were injured in the flame, including 45, who suffered very serious injuries. Many have flew to hospitals in neighboring Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey for specialized treatment.

At the protest rally, the uncle of a 19-year-old man who died said “these scenes should never be repeated.”

“When there was a war here, it wasn’t so bad.

After a long time, standing in silence, the crowd began to chant “We want justice!”

The mourners lit candles, hugged and cried and wrote reports of condolence in the central square.

A group of teenagers headed for a bar, breaking windows and raping it, believing that it belongs to the owner of Pulse Club.

The deadly fire started at around 2:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday and spread quickly as the ceiling was made of flammable material, said Interior Minister Pansovsky.

He said there was “a reason for suspicion that there was a bribe and corruption” related to fire.

At that time, there were 500 people inside the place, well above the capacity for the 250 tickets sold, he said.

Officials claim that the club’s license was illegally received and the place was converted for carpet warehouse whose single emergency exit was locked at that time.

There were only two fire extinguishers and there was no fire alarm or sprinkler system, said State Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski.

A civil group in northern Macedonia has called on people across the country to gather in city centers on Tuesday.