We show what could have caused the partial collapse of the railway station's roof structure.
As we reported: part of the structure of the railway station in Novi Sad collapsed on Friday, fourteen people died and around thirty were injured. In his televised address to the nation, President Aleksandar Vucic demanded that those responsible be found as soon as possible.
The roof structure above the entrance of the old part of the railway station building in Novi Sad, which had not been renovated since 1964, collapsed shortly before noon on Friday, burying several people under it.
According to the announcement of the railway company, the canopy was torn off on the old building of the railway station, not on the one that was renovated due to the construction of the Belgrade-Budapest railway line.
Eight people died and at least thirty were injured in the Vojvodina tragedy
However, the Serbian head of state thanked the rescue teams and doctors for their work
he placed the greatest emphasis on the perpetrators of the omissions.
He said that he does not want to talk about those who do not want to talk about the tragedy because of their own interests, or who try to hide from responsibility by hiding behind power. As president of Serbia, he asked the Novi Sad prosecutor's office and the Serbian government to
investigate the criminal and political persons responsible for the case as soon as possible.
He expressed his incomprehension as to why, if the entire building had been renovated in recent years, the canopy was left out. After the accident, many ambulances and fire engines arrived on the scene, and work machines were ordered to the railway station to remove the elements of the collapsed concrete structure. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that the rescue was carried out under extremely difficult conditions, but no more bodies are expected.
The youngest victim was six years old.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic called Friday's tragedy the most difficult moment in the history of Novi Sad after the Second World War. The Prime Minister, who was formerly the mayor of Újvidék, said that he would advocate for those responsible to be bypassed. The government ordered a national day of mourning for Saturday, and the management of the city of Újvidék announced three days of mourning.
Construction Minister Goran Vesic cut short his trip to Montenegro after hearing the news of the tragedy. Arriving in Novi Sad, he announced:
over the next few days they will track down those responsible and find out why the canopy was not renovated along with the rest of the building and who declared the structure safe.
Maja Gojkovic, president of the provincial government, Bálint Pásztor, president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association, and Bálint Juhász, president of the provincial parliament, expressed their condolences to the family members of those who died in the Novi Sad tragedy. The latter stated that he was deeply affected by this unprecedented tragedy.
"At a moment like this, we must be united and united, we must offer help and support to everyone who needs it"
- reads the statement of the politician.
Traffic is suspended at the Novi Sad railway station.
Featured image: Ambulances at the Novi Sad railway station, where rescue work is being carried out on November 1, 2024, after the roof structure above the entrance of the old part of the building, which has not been renovated since 1965, came off. Eleven people lost their lives and thirty were injured as a result of the collapse. According to the head of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of dead is not final, there may still be victims under the ruins. MTI/EPA/Marko Karovic
