Rescuers end search for survivors after 14 die in canopy collapse in northern Serbia

Serbia mourns victims of Novi Sad railway station collapse, sparking investigation amid corruption allegations and opposition protests.

Serbian rescuers stopped searching for survivors on Saturday (November 2, 2024) after pulling out 14 bodies from underneath tons of concrete from a fallen canopy at the entrance of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad.

Serbia’s government declared Saturday (November 2) a day of mourning as officials promised a thorough investigation into Friday's collapse of the roof that fell on people sitting below it.

“The dead included a six-year-old girl and a citizen of North Macedonia while three people were seriously injured,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

Doctors said the injured ranged from 18 to 24 years old and remained in life-threatening condition on Saturday.

The train station has been renovated twice in recent years, and critics of Serbia’s populist government attributed the disaster to corruption and sloppy renovations. Members of the opposition planned to protest in front of the station later on Saturday.

Officials have insisted that the canopy had not been part of the renovation work. Goran Vesic, the government Minister for construction and infrastructure, told the state RTS television the tragedy would not have happened had the canopy been renovated as well.

Mr. Dacic said some 20 people will be questioned on Saturday as part of the investigation, including Mr. Vesic.