Windows of a pub believed to belong to the owner of the nightclub in North Macedonia where 59 people died in a fire on Sunday have been smashed.
Eggs were thrown and municipality buildings were damaged as anger grew over Sunday’s fire in the town of Kocani.
Another 155 people were injured from burns, smoke inhalation and being trampled in the panicked rush towards Club Pulse’s single exit.
People gather in front of a pub, belonging to the owner of Pulse nightclub. Pic: Reuters
Protesters smashed windows of the pub. Pic: Reuters
Clubgoers as young as 16 were among the casualties, and North Macedonia declared seven days of mourning.
Videos showed pyrotechnics on the club’s stage hitting the ceiling and igniting as a band played.
Authorities are now investigating bribery allegations surrounding the fire in the club, which was crammed with young party-goers and at double its 250-person capacity.
People damage a municipality building following the fire. Pic: Reuters
People throw eggs as they protest outside a municipality building following a fire at the Pulse nightclub. Pic: Reuters
A woman cries during a protest in memory of the victims of the fire. Pic: Reuters
State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a preliminary inspection of the club revealed several safety code violations, including a lack of emergency exits, an insufficient number of fire extinguishers and improper access for emergency vehicles.
Interior minister Panche Toshkovski added that the club was operating without a proper licence.
Bribes to authorities to skip licensing requirements and skirt safety regulations are common in North Macedonia.
Moment deadly fire breaks out at nightclub
Thousands of residents joined silent protests against corruption on Monday.
The protesters’ anger boiled over, with some toppling a van and smashing windows of a storefront – both allegedly belonging to one of the club owners.
A view of the damaged Pulse nightclub roof. Pic: Reuters
Kocani’s mayor resigned on Monday over the disaster.
North Macedonia’s government also ordered a sweeping three-day inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets across the country, starting on Monday.
The country’s president Gordana Davkova Siljanovska said in an address to the nation on Sunday night: “We are all in shock, and I am shocked myself: as a mother, as a person, as a president.”
Officials said 10 people remain in police custody in Kocani, some 115 kilometres (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje.
