Eight dead in Novi Sad, Serbia, train station canopy collapse

Eight people have died after a concrete canopy at a railway station in northern Serbia collapsed, the country’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

People were sitting on benches under the outdoor overhang of the station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second city, at the time of the collapse around noon local time (11:00 GMT), Serbia’s Radio Television (RTS) reported.

Dacic said two people were in the hospital, including a man who had his legs amputated.

Rescuers were in contact with two others, including a girl, still under the rubble, he added.

Around 80 rescuers from all over the country were involved in the search using heavy machinery.

The station building was renovated in 2021 and renovated again this year to be officially opened on 5 July.

Serbian media quoted the Railway Infrastructure of Serbia, the body responsible for the concrete cover, as saying that it was not reconstructed with the station.

Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said that anyone found responsible for the maintenance of the canopy, which was built in 1964, would be held accountable, media reported.

Vučević said that Friday was one of the most difficult days in Novi Sad’s post-war history.

“This is a big, terrible tragedy for Novi Sad and for all of Serbia,” he added, sending condolences to the victims’ families and thanking first responders.