Officials in North Macedonia are investigating a fire that tore through a nightclub killing 59 people and injuring more than 150, with many crushed in the rush to escape flames suspected to have been sparked by on-stage pyrotechnics.

Police have detained 15 people after a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia killed at least 59 people, officials have said. The blaze broke out around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Sunday at the Pulse club in Kocani, where about 500 people had gathered for a concert by DNK, a popular hip-hop duo in the country.

(Reuters) -Thousands of people gathered in North Macedonia on Monday to call for justice for 59 people killed in a nightclub blaze on Sunday and demand an end to the corruption that they say was behind the country's worst disaster in years.