Dozens of venues in North Macedonia have been shuttered for not holding valid licences in the wake of the deadly Pulse nightclub fire.

Fifty-nine people died, including six minors, and 197 were injured after a blaze ripped through the Kočani club in the early hours of Sunday (16 March) during a concert by domestic hip-hop act DNK. The government declared seven days of national mourning to honour the victims.

Reuters reports that 13 people have been remanded in custody for 30 days as investigations continue into the fire, which state prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski says was caused by a “chain of omissions and illegal actions by officials”.

The government ordered a three-day inspection of nightclubs and cabarets across the country in the aftermath of the tragedy, with spokesperson Marija Miteva reporting that only 22 of the 50 establishments inspected in several cities were found to have valid licences.

“For all premises with expired licenses or no licence at all, the state market inspectorate has ordered the suspension of activities until all necessary documents are reviewed and validated,” said Miteva.

DNK’s 43-year-old singer Andrej Gorgieski was among those killed in the tragedy

The Pulse fire is believed to have been ignited by sparks from pyrotechnic devices as DNK were playing on stage. The group’s 43-year-old singer Andrej Gorgieski was among those killed.

According to officials, the club – a converted carpet warehouse – was at double its 250 capacity and had obtained its licence illegally. Multiple safety violations were also detected, while interior minister PanceToskovski told reporters there were “grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption” surrounding the venue.

People congregated at Macedonia Square in the capital Skopje on Tuesday (18 March) to pay tribute to the victims, with funerals held across the country yesterday (20 March). Anti-corruption protests have also taken place.

The incident was the deadliest nightclub fire since 64 people died in a blaze at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, a decade ago.

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Fifteen people have been detained in the wake of the devastating blaze at Pulse nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia that killed at least 59 concertgoers and injured more than 150 others.

The venue had been hosting a concert by hip-hop duo DNK, attended by around 500 people, when the fire started at 2.35am local time on Sunday 16 March.

The government has declared seven days of national mourning to honour the victims.

“Most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit,” Kocani hospital head Kristina Serafimovska told AFP. “Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Interior minister Pance Toskovski said the fire is believed to have been ignited by sparks from pyrotechnic devices as the band were playing on stage.

“The sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke,” he told a press conference.

“The most important thing is to find out all the facts and evidence necessary for the follow-up measures. We must remain calm while taking all these steps so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”

The incident is the deadliest nightclub fire since 64 people died in a blaze at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, in 2015

Kočani is a town located around 100km east of the capital Skopje. Toskovski told reporters there were “grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption” surrounding the nightclub – a former carpet warehouse – which was at double its 250 capacity and did not hold a valid licence.

Initial inspections on Sunday uncovered various “abnormalities” including “deficiencies” in the venue’s fire-extinguishing and lighting system said Biljana Arsovska, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office.

Those detained include the venue owner and former government officials, reports the BBC.

In response to the tragedy, the government has ordered a three-day inspection of nightclubs and cabarets across the country, starting today (17 March).

The incident is the deadliest nightclub fire since 64 people died in a blaze at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, Romania, in 2015.

The case also appears to be strikingly similar to the 2003 fire at The Station venue in Rhode Island, US, which killed 100 people and injured 230 after pyrotechnics ignited flammable acoustic foam in the walls and ceilings around the stage.

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