AFP, NOVI SAD, Serbia
At least 14 people were killed on Friday after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s Novi Sad, the president said.
The incident happened early on Friday at the city’s main train station. The roof provided shade near the entrance and was a popular place for commuters to wait on benches.
“We hope this will be the final number — 14 people have died. Of these, we have been unable to identify five individuals,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said hours after the incident.
A woman kneels next to a memorial for people killed in the collapse of a roof at a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Friday.
Photo: AFP
“We must all come together to support the families of those who lost their lives and do everything in our power to minimize the damage and help those who have lost their loved ones as much as possible,” he added in an address televised nationwide.
Among the dead was a young child between the ages of six and seven years old.
“Those responsible, I assure you will be punished,” the president said.
As the sun set in Novi Sad, residents lit candles and laid flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims near the railway station and in the city’s main square.
“I am speechless,” resident Natasa Siladji told Radio Free Europe. “I can’t believe something like this could happen in my city.”
Cranes and excavators worked alongside emergency responders digging through the rubble to search for the survivors, an Agence France-Presses photographer at the scene said.
“The operation is still ongoing and extremely challenging. Over 80 rescuers are involved, with the assistance of heavy machinery,” Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic said Friday afternoon.
The Serbian government ordered that yesterday be an official day of mourning, a statement published by the country’s state broadcaster said.
The Blood Transfusion Institute in Novi Sad also called on residents to donate blood following the accident, with a line forming outside the center that remained crowded into the evening.
“My condolences to the families of the deceased,” Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said after arriving at the station early on Friday.
“This is a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia, for Novi Sad,” he added.
Serving Serbia’s second-largest city, the station fully reopened in July after three years of renovation work. Construction was still ongoing in parts of the station.
Serbia Railways said in a statement that the collapsed roof had not been part of the renovations completed at the station.
