Just as it concluded up a rescue operation, Serbia had on Saturday, launched an investigation into a roof collapse that killed 14 and injured three at a railway station in Novi Sad.
The disaster occurred on Friday when a length of roofing along the entrance to the station caved in. Rescuers who were dispatched had worked tirelessly into the night, using heavy construction machinery, to find the dead and wounded from under the rubble.
Transport Minister, Goran Vesic said the probe, instigated by the authorities in Novi Sad, would include the state Traffic Institute, state railway company and the Chinese consortium that were in charge of the renovation work.
“The investigation will determine … who made decisions and put seals and signatures, who was in charge of controlling the (quality of) works,” Vesic had said in a TV broadcast.
Vesic, state Serbian Railways company, the state Traffic Institute and the Chinese consortium – China Railway International Co. Ltd and China Communications Construction Company (CRIC-CCCC), that was spearheading the renovation of the building had all said that the part of the building that caved in was not a part of the works.
Meanwhile Serbia’s Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic had announced that 20 people would be interviewed by authorities on Saturday in connection with the disaster. This figure includes people from the ministry in charge and the state railways operator.
On Saturday, the authorities declared a national day of mourning.
Following this, people brought flowers and lit candles near the site even as workers were seen clearing away the last of the rubble.
Serbia’s opposition, which regularly accuses authorities loyal to President Aleksandar Vucic of rampant corruption, nepotism and excessive red tape, have calledfor a protest in downtown Novi Sad later in the day.
But Vucic, a populist, and his allies have denied all allegations.
Meanwhile, during a televised address on Friday night, the president promised justice and demanded harsh punishment for those responsible.
