Admin l Saturday, November 02, 2024
SERBIA – The number of people killed after a concrete canopy collapsed at the main train station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad has risen to 14, the interior minister said.
Among the victims was young girl aged 6 or 7, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said late Friday, according to media reports after the rescue operation was completed.
Dozens of people were injured, three of whom are in serious condition.
The Serbian government declared an official day of mourning across the country on Saturday.
The accident occurred around midday Friday. The cause was still under investigation.
Construction was taking place at the time of the collapse, but the Chinese firm responsible for the renovation work under way at the facility said the outdoor canopy was not affected.
President Aleksandar Vučić vowed that those responsible would be punished.
Novi Sad’s main train station was built in 1964 in what was then Yugoslavia.
German partner city offers help
Following the accident, Novi Sad’s German partner city of Dortmund has pledged its support.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those affected in our twin city in these difficult hours,” Thomas Westphal, the mayor of the western German city, said in a statement on Saturday.
Dortmund city authorities had already contacted the authorities in Novi Sad and are prepared to “provide every conceivable support,” he said.
