Serbia marks one year since station collapse

TENS of thousands of Serbians at the weekend marked the first anniversary of a deadly railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad, a tragedy that shocked the Balkan nation and triggered mass protests.

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MOURNERS lay flowers and light candles during a gathering marking the first anniversary of the Novi Sad railway station tragedy, in Belgrade.

(AFP)

Sixteen people were killed after the station's canopy collapsed on November 1, 2024, in an accident that became a symbol of Serbia's entrenched corruption, eventually leading to the collapse of the government.

A crowd in Novi Sad observed 16 minutes of silence, one for each of the victims, starting at 11.52am, the time when the tragedy occurred.

Police said 39 000 people rallied in the city, but according to journalists at the scene and aerial images the crowd appeared to be significantly larger, at around 100 000.

People have been pouring into Serbia's second-largest city since last week, arriving by car, bicycle, on foot and even tractor.

At the weekend, under sunny skies, they placed flowers and lit candles in front of the station.