The fire broke out during a concert by the hip-hop duo DNK at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kocani about 3 am (02:00 GMT) last Sunday when sparks from flares set the ceiling alight. At least 59 people were killed and 155 were injured in the fire, triggering an outpouring of grief in the Balkan country. Burials were held in several cities and towns, but the main funeral was in Kocani, a town of about 25,000 people located 100 km (62 miles) east of the capital Skopje, where 30 of the victims were buried.

Thousands of mourners walked solemnly along dirt paths to newly dug graves marked with paper signs. Many carried baskets of white flowers or clutched photographs of their loved ones. Many wore T-shirts and badges with pictures and names of the deceased. Several people overcome by grief required medical attention. A weeping man rested his head on the edge of one of the coffins. Ana Kostadinovska, a backing vocalist for the band DNA, who survived the fire, wrote in an online post: “A part of my second family has left. Along with them, my soul. “All that remains is ashes and emptiness … and who would have thought that emptiness could hurt so much,” she wrote.

The fire, and emerging stories of the harrowing scenes at the nightclub, have triggered an outpouring of grief and protests, led mostly by young people. Thursday’s religious service at the cemetery in Kocani was led by clergy from the country’s Orthodox Church, while Red Cross and emergency personnel were present to support grieving families. Before the funerals, the country’s spiritual leader, Orthodox Archbishop Stefan, called for national unity in prayer for the victims and their families. “We pray constantly for the salvation of the innocent victims, holding memorial services for the deceased and offering prayers for the healing of the injured, as well as for the comfort of their families and loved ones,” he said. (Al Jazeera/Reuters)