In Serbia, due to the collapse of the roof at the railway station, 14 people died — people came out to protest

The roof collapsed at the railway station in the city of Novi Sad in Serbia. As a result, 14 people died, three were injured. People came to a rally in Belgrade, accusing the authorities of negligence.

This is reported by Reuters.

The disaster in Novi Sad happened on Friday, November 1 — the roof along the entrance to the railway station unexpectedly collapsed. 14 people died from injuries, three more were injured. It is known that the railway station in Novi Sad was repaired in 2021 and 2022. Some small works were performed until July 2024.

Already on November 3, hundreds of activists gathered near government buildings in Belgrade. They came with banners "Blood on Your Hands" and "Corruption Kills", demanding the arrest of the countryʼs presidenr Aleksandar Vučić.

Serbian opposition politicians, activists and human rights defenders accuse the authorities and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party of corruption, ties to organized crime, nepotism and bureaucracy. Vučić and his colleagues deny the accusations.

The Prime Minister of the country Milos Vucevich said that the government is already investigating who is responsible for the disaster. The prosecutorʼs office of the city of Novi Sad reported that investigators interviewed 26 people who may be connected to the incident. Among them is the Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia Goran Vesic. Another 14 people were summoned for questioning, the department says.

• Parliamentary and local elections were held in Serbia on December 17, 2023. The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vučić won the majority of votes. The opposition declared about falsifications. The OSCE observers also saw a number of violations — unfair competition, media bias and voter bribery.
• Subsequently, protests began in Serbia demanding the annulment of the election results. In December 2023, demonstrators tried to break into the Belgrade City Hall, where the election commission is located. They broke down the door of the building and threw stones at it. The police intervened in the situation, using gas and batons.
• On December 30, Serbia held re-elections in 30 precincts where the results of the December 17 vote could not be established, and in those where the results were annulled due to detected irregularities. Aleksandar Vučić rejected accusations of falsification of votes.
• According to Radio Svoboda, the presidentʼs party has dominated Serbian politics for more than ten years and has imposed its control on almost all levels of government in the Balkan state.
• Serbia is traditionally one of Russiaʼs closest allies in Europe. It also has close economic ties with the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of the invasion, Serbia has resisted pressure from the European Union and has not imposed sanctions against Moscow, even though it is a candidate country for joining the EU, and for this it must pursue a joint foreign policy with the European Union.

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