"We are dying from corruption, not accidents!" Anger erupts in RMV, nightclub did not have minimum conditions

Thousands of people gathered in North Macedonia on Monday to demand justice for the 59 people who lost their lives in a nightclub fire in Kocani, and to demand an end to the corruption that they say led to the worst tragedy in years.

The blaze erupted during a hip hop concert at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning when sparks from pyrotechnic devices being used by the band set the ceiling ablaze. Hundreds of people rushed toward the only exit of the unlicensed, overcrowded venue as flames quickly spread across the ceiling.

"We are not dying from accidents but from corruption," read some of the banners.

The violence erupted when a group of people threw stones to break the windows of a pub that, according to protesters, was run by the same person who owned the Pulse nightclub where the tragedy occurred.

"I want the imprisonment of all those who helped this country continue to work. We want change because this is a corrupt country."

The incident, which also injured more than 150 people, has shaken the town of 25,000, 80 km east of Skopje. Bulldozers and workers with shovels are busy opening a new grave plot, where the new victims of the tragedy will be buried.

Meanwhile, citizens who have lost their family members lined up in front of the hospital in Kocani to help with their DNA, to identify the victims.

Macedonian authorities said the nightclub was operating under a forged license and that the premises were not equipped with fire extinguishers or emergency exits. Prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said the building, described by media as a former carpet warehouse, had a ceiling made of flammable material and non-fireproof plaster walls. There was only one emergency exit, which was blocked during Sunday’s concert, two fire extinguishers and no alarm system. Authorities have arrested 20 people in connection with the incident, including government officials and the venue’s manager. More than 50 people are reportedly being treated in hospitals in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey. (A2 Televizion)