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Serbia: Minister to resign over train station roof collapse

November 4, 2024

Government minister Goran Vesic said he would tender his resignation, after 14 people died on Friday at the Novi Sad train station. This follows major protests calling for the government to take responsibility.

https://p.dw.com/p/4mb64
Protesters shout slogans and demand arrests, two days after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, killing 14 people and injuring three, during protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
Protests on Sunday in Belgrade had centered around Goran Vesic's ministry building, with demonstrators calling for consequences after the fatal accidentImage: Darko Vojinovic/AP/picture alliance

Serbia's minister of consruction, transport and infrastructure, Goran Vesic, said on Monday he would resign after 14 people were killed last week when a train station roof collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad.

"Tomorrow morning I will officially submit my resignation as minister of construction, transportation and infrastructure," Vesic said during a live broadcast.

"I submit the resignation as a responsible man who wants to show by personal example that in today's Serbia there is a moral responsibility since such a terrible accident happened under the department that I lead."

However, Vesic added that he did not "accept the guilt for the deaths of 14 people" killed in Friday's accident.

Serbian minister Goran Vesic, pictured on May 2, 2024.
Goran Vesic said he would resign on Tuesday Image: Li Jing/Xinhua News Agency/picture alliance

What happened in Novi Sad?

Part of the concrete roof canopy above the entrance of the Novi Sad railway station collapsed on Friday, but it was not immediately clear why.

It occurred just months after the station finished a years-long renovation in July, which authorities said did not include the collapsed roof. Construction work was still ongoing in parts of the building.

Angry protests follow deaths

The fatal incident sparked outrage in Serbia, with people having taking to the streets and social media to denounce Vesic and other government officials for what they allege is weak oversight on construction and development projects. 

Protesters shout slogans with red paint on thire hands symbolizing blood, demanding arrests, two days after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, killing 14 people and injuring three, during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
Some protesters painted their hands red, saying the government had blood on its handsImage: Darko Vojinovic/AP/picture alliance

On Sunday, hundreds of protesters rallied in front of the construction ministry in Belgrade, throwing red paint at the building and demanding the minister's resignation. 

Prosecutors in Novi Sad said on Sunday that Vesic was questioned over the weekend along with dozens other people amid their investigation into the fatal accident.

km/msh (AFP, Reuters)