Dozens go on trial over deadly North Macedonia nightclub fire

Thirty-five people and three institutions are on trial. Prosecutors say years of failings turned the venue into a death trap.

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"I know about the pain of loved ones, we are all parents," Judge Diana Gruevska-Ilievska told the crowded courtroom, filled with defendants and dozens of victims' relatives. She promised the case would be conducted in a transparent and disciplined manner.

Club Pulse, in the eastern town of Kocani, was packed with young Macedonians attending a concert by a popular hip-hop duo when sparks from pyrotechnic devices set fire to the ceiling.

Prosecutors told the trial that years of failings had turned the club into a death trap.

Three former mayors of Kocani, the nightclub's owner and public licensing officials are among those charged.