North Macedonia mourns dead in nightclub fire as 15 people detained

Government declares seven-day period of mourning after fire in eastern town of Koani kills at least 59

North Macedonia has declared a seven-day period of mourning after a fire in a nightclub that left at least 59 dead and scores injured, as authorities detained 15 people for questioning and the interior minister said a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper licence.

At the end of a day in which the small Balkan country grappled with a disaster not seen in decades, its interior minister Panche Toshkovski said the venue in the eastern town of Koani where the pre-dawn blaze occurred appeared to be operating illegally.