North Macedonia's interior minister said on Sunday (Mar 16) that authorities were investigating whether corruption and bribery caused the massive nightclub fire that left at least 59 dead and scores injured, some critically. The authorities have detained 15 people for questioning amid allegations of corruption and bribery in the club's operations. 

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"This company does not have a legal license for work," said Interior Minister Pance Toskovski, referring to the Pulse nightclub. 

"This license, as many other things in Macedonia in the past, is connected with bribery and corruption," he said at a press conference in Kocani, a small town, where the tragedy occurred. 

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He added that "at the time of the event, around 500 people were inside, while 250 tickets were sold" for a concert by a popular hip-hop duo called DNK. 

One of DNK's singers, Andrej Gjorgjieski, was killed, and the other, Vladimir Blazev, was injured. A guitarist, a drummer and a backup singer also lost their lives. 

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What exactly happened? 

A preliminary probe revealed that the fire was believed to have been triggered by the use of special-effects pyrotechnic devices. It erupted at about 2.35 am local time (1.35 am GMT). 

"Sparks caught the ceiling, which was made of easily flammable material, after which the fire rapidly spread across the whole discotheque, creating thick smoke," Toskovski said.

Images and videos shared on social media platforms revealed the club's inside timber beams were bare and scorched, while the corrugated iron roof was partially fallen and burned through. 

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Most of those who lost their lives at Club Pulse during a hip-hop concert were teenagers and young adults. The nation has declared a seven-day period of mourning. Some of those taken to medical facilities were as young as 14. 

The head of the Kocani hospital, Kristina Serafimovska, told the media that "most of the dead suffered injuries from the stampede that occurred in the panic while trying to exit". "Seventy of the patients have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning," she said. 

"Let us unite our forces, let us not allow anyone else to sacrifice standards for profit, nothing is more valuable than the lives of young people," North Macedonia's president Gordana Siljanovska said. 

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(With inputs from agencies)