14 killed after train station roof collapses in Serbia, president vows to punish those responsible

At least 14 people lost their lives after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a train station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. The roof, which provided shelter to the benches at a train station came crashing down on Friday morning. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, confirmed the death toll soon after.

“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.

“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 Serbian president mentioned that a child aged six or seven was among those killed in the crash.

‘Those responsible will be punished’: Vučić

During his television address, Vučić made it clear that those responsible for the tragic incident would be punished. On Friday evening, people lit candles and laid flowers at the makeshift memorial for the victims near the railway station 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," she added. The head of the city’s Vojvodina Clinic, Vesna Turkulov, told reporters that three people who had been pulled from the rubble were in serious condition.

“The injuries are very severe,” she said. Meanwhile, Cranes and excavators worked alongside emergency responders digging through the rubble to search for the survivors, AFP reported. “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.

While the rescue operation is underway, the Serbian government has called for a day of mourning on Saturday for the victims of the incident. Meanwhile, Serbian Railways issued a statement in which they mentioned 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.

With inputs from AFP.