'I had one child and I lost him' - North Macedonia mourns nightclub disaster

Marija Taseva was enjoying a nighttime retired with her sister astatine the Pulse nine successful Kocani, North Macedonia, connected Saturday erstwhile catastrophe struck.

They were watching DNK, a fashionable hip-hop duo successful the country, when a occurrence broke out, which killed astatine slightest 59 radical and injured 155 others.

"Everyone started screaming and shouting 'get out, get out!'" the 19-year-old told Reuters.

People desperately tried to flight the flames but determination was lone 1 exit for astir 500 people, arsenic the lone different doorway astatine the backmost of the venue was locked.

"I don't cognize however but I ended up connected the ground, I couldn't get up and astatine that infinitesimal radical started stomping connected me," Ms Taseva said.

She yet managed to get to safety, but her sister did not.

"My sister died. I was saved and she wasn't."

Police person detained 15 people, with Interior Minister Pance Toskovski saying that determination are "grounds for suspicion that determination is bribery and corruption" linked to the fire.

The occurrence started astir 02:30 section clip (01:30 GMT) connected Sunday erstwhile sparks from pyrotechnic devices deed the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, Toskovski said.

Described arsenic an "improvised nightclub" by the section press, the venue, located successful a municipality astir 100km (60 miles) eastbound of the capital, Skopje, did not person a ineligible licence to operate, Toskovski said.

It had antecedently been a carpet warehouse, and constabulary are investigating.

"Most of the dormant suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred successful the panic portion trying to exit," the caput of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told reporters.

"Seventy of the patients person burns and c monoxide poisoning," she said, according to AFP quality agency.

Vladislav Gruev, a specializer successful reconstructive and integrative country astatine the University Clinic for Surgical Diseases, has been treating survivors.

"Most of them person extended pain injuries, supra 18% aboveground assemblage area, 2nd and 3rd grade burns connected the head, neck, precocious torso, and precocious limbs - hands and fingers," helium said.

Inspections connected Sunday showed respective "abnormalities" successful the venue, including "deficiencies" successful the fire-extinguishing and lighting system, said nationalist prosecutor's bureau spokesperson Biljana Arsovska.

Speaking extracurricular the hospital, Red Cross unpaid Mustafa Saidov said the bulk of those who died were young people.

"Inside wherever they are identifying the victims, the concern is acold worse. You spot that the parents are besides rather young people, successful their 40s. Their children are 18 oregon 20 years old."

"The concern is brutal, chaotic, the stories are precise sad, and unluckily galore young lives are lost."

One man, whose nephew was injured successful the fire, said immoderate radical person been incapable to find their children.

Many are aggravated and searching for answers, similar Dragi Stojanov, who mislaid his lone kid successful the fire.

"Let maine archer you successful beforehand of everybody. Film me. I americium a dormant man, I mislaid everything… the full of Europe should know," helium told reporters.

"After this tragedy, what bash I request this beingness for? I don't request it.

"I had 1 kid and I mislaid him."

North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova said determination needed to beryllium accountability for what happened.

"None of the liable this clip should debar the law, the justness and punishment too," she said.

"Nothing is worthier than quality life, specifically young life."

The astir earnestly injured were being taken for attraction successful specializer clinics successful Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey, she added.

The authorities has declared 7 days of nationalist mourning, and it volition clasp an exigency league arsenic portion of ongoing investigations into however the incidental unfolded.