Day of Mourning Declared in Serbia After 14 Die in Railway Station Canopy Collapse

Candle (Photo: Pixabay)

A day of mourning was declared in Serbia on Nov. 2 after 14 people died in the collapse of a Novi Sad railway station canopy on Nov. 1.

The concrete canopy at the entrance to the Railway Station in Novi Sad collapsed early on Nov. 1, claiming the lives of 14 people and severely injuring three. Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic signed a decision declaring a day of mourning across the country. In Novi Sad, Mayor Milan Djuric declared three days of mourning.

More than 1,000 Novi Sad residents paid silent tribute to the casualties late on Nov. 2. People kept coming to the building to pay homage throughout the day. Vigils for the victims were held in many other Serbian cities too.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Nov. 1 that he would ask the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office and the Serbian government to process and severely punish the persons responsible for the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station. He said he would demand the same for the persons responsible for the reconstruction of the building not including the overhang over the entrance, built in 1964. He went on to say that he would ask the government to call to account criminally and politically the persons who were responsible.