Dozens of people were killed when a fire crossed an illegal nightclub in the city of Kocani in southern Macedonia in northern Macedonia, which caused an investigation of bribery and corruption that has led the arrests of several local officials that allegedly allowed the club to remain open, the authorities said Sunday.

At least 59 people, all from 18 to 23 years old, were killed and another 155 were injured, said Interior Minister of North Macedonia, Panche Toshkovski, during a press conference on Sunday. Among the victims was a police officer, who was at the Club Club Pulse service club, said Toshkovski.

The fire began during a pyrotechnic show on stage, according to sources at the scene.

The nightclub had been illegally operating for more than a year with a false license and without valid permission, according to Toshkovski.

At the time of the fire, the nightclub was packed in twice its official capacity of 250 people, and there was only one way out for people to escape, Toshkovski said.

Toshkovski said it is suspected that more than 20 people are moody, including 15 who were being questioned by the police on Sunday.

One of the main organizers of the nightclub was arrested under suspicion of being directly responsible for the mortal fire, Toshkovski said.

The names of those arrested or subject to questions were not immediately released. But Toshkovski said they include former Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy, as well as a senior ministry official.

Toshkovski also said that the former director of protection and rescue of the region and three other employees of the institution were also being questioned as part of the investigation. He added that some of the suspects involved in the illegal nightclub were killed in the fire.

All people with pending arrest orders have been located, said Toshkovski.

Toshkovski said the Ministry of Economy and the prosecutor’s office are collecting documents related to the nightclub and those that were allegedly responsible for the tragedy.

Dr. Kristina Serafimova, the head of the Kocani General Hospital, told ABC News that those who perished were killed by smoke inhalation, burns and a stampede caused by the fire. Serafimova said there was only one exit from the nightclub.

Another 155 people were injured in the incident, all between 14 and 24 years, said Serafimova and Toshkovski. At least 27 of the injured are in critical condition and are in respirators and fight for their lives, they said Serafimova and Toshkovski.

At least 13 of the severely injured victims were transferred to hospitals in Salonica, Greece, to receive treatment, said Toshkovski.

A central operator in one of the victims who treat hospitals told ABC News: “It’s a catastrophic tragedy.”

The DNK band manager, who acted in Club clicks when the fire exploded, told ABC News that the place had a maximum capacity of 500 to 700 people. The band, which consisted of 8 artists, was acting at the time of the fire and some of them were among the injured, said the manager.

A person close to the band said that the total team involved in the performance was 11 people, including the members of the backstage crew, and eight of them perished in the fire. The three who survived are one of the main singers, a guitarist and a backup vocalist.

The mayor of Strumica, Konstantin Kostantinov, told ABC News that the 24 -year -old drummer for DNK is among those who died in the nightclub fire. Kostantinov also expressed condolences and support to families who lost loved ones, and added that the entire North Macedonia is in a state of shock and mourning for this tragedy.

Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized in Rome to receive treatment, sent a telegram to Bishop Kiro Stojanov in Skopje, Macedonia del Norte, expressing his condolences, according to the Vatican.

In the telegram, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Vatican, the Pope said he is praying “for those who lost their lives” and for their loved ones.

As more details of the incident arose, the families of the young people who attended the concert, some of them minors, requested information about social networks, shared telephone numbers and personal details with the hope that those who are still missing can be found.

Serafimova told ABC News that only about half of the victims had the identification. Family members of the disappeared to come to the Kocani hospital have been asked to help identify their loved ones, he added.

The fire began around 2:35 am local time, according to Toshkovski, who said the roof of the place was burned by the pyrotechnics used by the Clubbers.

Northern Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote in X: “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”

“The government is completely mobilized and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy,” Mickoski added. “In these times of deep sadness, when our hearts are broken in pain due to this terrible tragedy, I ask for unity, solidarity, humanity and responsibility.”

Among those who offered the condolences from abroad were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I would like those who were injured a rapid recovery,” he wrote in a publication to X. “Ukraine cries next to our [North] Macedonian friends on this sad day. “

Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, said his nation was ready “to provide any assistance that may be necessary.”

The European commissioner for the expansion Marta Kos said in X that she was “deeply sad” for the “terrible tragedy.”

Somayeh Malekian of ABC News contributed to this report.