In Serbia today is a day of
national mourning in memory of the 14 victims of yesterday's
collapse at Novi Sad train station. Flags are at half-mast,
public and recreational events are canceled, soccer league games
and other sporting events are postponed, and the national radio
broadcasts only classical music and news. In Novi Sad, Serbia's
second-largest city, mourning will last for three days. Interior
Minister Ivica Dacic said 13 of the 14 victims have been
identified; the identity of a North Macedonian citizen who died
in the crash remains to be ascertained. In the hospital, the
condition of the 3 injured who were hospitalized after being
pulled from the rubble yesterday remains serious. They are young
people between the ages of 18 and 24. Minister Dacic added that
the investigation into the causes of the disaster has begun and
that around 20 people are expected to be questioned as early as
today, starting with representatives of the Ministry of
Transport, the National Railways Authority, and the construction
company that carried out renovation work at Novi Sad station in
recent years. Both President Aleksandar Vucic and Transport
Minister Goran Vesic yesterday had questioned why the
60-year-old canopy that collapsed yesterday was excluded from
those works. Speaking on live television last night, Vucic
assured that every effort will be made to identify and punish
those responsible for this tragic accident.
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