The train station in Novi Sad collapsed yesterday afternoon, burying several people under the rubble. The disaster took 14 lives in total, including a six-year-old child. Several others were pulled from the debris and rushed to the hospital; however, some survivors remain in critical condition.
One 14-year-old girl was rescued alive hours after the collapse. According to a witness, “everything suddenly fell, it was as if an explosion had occurred.”
In response, emergency teams, including ambulances, firefighters, and machinery, were quickly dispatched to the site to remove the fallen concrete panels.
This is one of Novi Sad’s hardest days since the war - a tragedy of immense scale, not only for the city but for all of Serbia,
– said Serb Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. Mr. Vucevic expressed gratitude to police officers, firefighters, and other rescue and medical teams who fought to save lives from under the rubble and treat those injured.
Although the building was constructed in 1964, exactly sixty years ago, we will demand accountability. We will seek out those who should have monitored the building’s condition and those who should have alerted authorities to carry out the necessary repairs,
– the prime minister stated. The building’s entrance roof, part of an older section not renovated since its original construction, collapsed just before noon on Friday, burying several people. According to the railway company, the collapse involved only the old building’s awning and not the section renovated for the Belgrade-Budapest railway line, which had only undergone interior updates and facade improvements.
Following the tragedy, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban extended his condolences to the families of the victims and to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic via social media.
I would like to express my deepest condolences to President Vucic and the people of Serbia over the tragic roof collapse at Novi Sad’s train station,
– Mr. Orban wrote. Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok also shared his condolences, stating on his social media that
I have just learned the tragic news of the roof collapse at Novi Sad’s train station. So far, eight people have died, and many are injured. My heartfelt condolences go to the victims’ families. I pray for the injured to recover swiftly.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto conveyed his condolences as well, writing that he assured Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric of the Hungarian people’s sympathy through a telegram, and spoke over the phone with Balint Pasztor, President of the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina.
Serb Interior Minister Ivica Dacic reported that rescue operations had concluded today, confirming that the final toll is 14 dead and three injured. In response to the tragedy, the Serbian government declared November 2 as a day of national mourning.
Cover photo: People light candles in downtown Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, following the accident at the main train station (Photo: AFP)
