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Roof collapse kills at least 12 people at Serbian train station Roof collapse kills at least 14 people at Serbian train station
(about 4 hours later)
At least two people still trapped under rubble in Novi Sad, interior minister says, and two more in hospital Young child among the dead at Novi Sad’s main station as country’s president vows to punish those responsible
At least 12 people have been killed after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a train station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, the country’s interior minister said. At least 14 people have been killed after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a train station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, the country’s president has said.
“The current number of bodies recovered is 12,” Ivica Dačić told reporters. “Two people are in hospital, one of whom is in critical condition,” he added. The roof, which provided shade over benches near the station’s entrance, came crashing down early on Friday.
The minister said rescuers were in contact with two people who were still trapped beneath the rubble. “The operation is still ongoing and extremely challenging. Over 80 rescuers are involved, with the assistance of heavy machinery,” he said. “We hope this will be the final number: 14 people have died. Of these, we have been unable to identify five individuals,” the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, said hours after the incident.
Footage posted on social media showed several ambulances and fire engines at the scene. Two excavators could also be seen digging through the pile of rubble. The blood transfusion institute in Novi Sad called on people to donate blood after the accident. “We must all come together to support the families of those who lost their lives and do everything in our power to minimise the damage and help those who have lost their loved ones as much as possible,” he added in an address televised nationwide.
The station, in Serbia’s second-largest city,reopened in July after three years of renovation work. Construction work was still going on in parts of the station. Vučić said a child aged six or seven was among the dead.
Serbia’s prime minister, Miloš Vučević, said authorities would investigate the cause of the accident. “We will insist on finding those responsible, those who should have ensured the structure’s safety. My condolences to the families of the deceased,” he said. “This is a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia, for Novi Sad.” “Those responsible, I assure you will be punished,” the president added.
Serbian Railways said in a statement that the outdoor roof that collapsed had not been part of the renovations completed at the station. “Serbian Railways regrets the accident that occurred, and the causes and any new details from the investigation will be promptly announced,” the company wrote in a social media post. As the sun set in Novi Sad, people 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,” Natasa Siladji told Radio Free Europe. “I can’t believe something like this could happen in my city.”
Earlier on Friday, the head of the city’s Vojvodina Clinic, Vesna Turkulov, told reporters that three people who had been pulled from the rubble were in a serious condition, two of whom were undergoing operations.
“The injuries are very severe,” she said.
Cranes and excavators worked alongside emergency responders digging through the rubble to search for the survivors, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.
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“The operation is still ongoing and extremely challenging. More than 80 rescuers are involved, with the assistance of heavy machinery,” the interior minister, Ivica Dačić, said on Friday afternoon.
The Serbian government said an official day of mourning would be held on Saturday, according to a statement published by the country’s state broadcaster.
Serbian Railways said in a statement that the outdoor roof that collapsed had not been part of the renovations completed at the station. “Serbian Railways regrets the accident that occurred, and the causes and any new details from the investigation will be promptly announced,” the company wrote in a social media post.
A high-speed rail connection between Novi Sad and the capital, Belgrade, opened in March 2022.A high-speed rail connection between Novi Sad and the capital, Belgrade, opened in March 2022.