 Canopy of the main railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, after the collapse | |
| Date | 1 November 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:56 (CET) |
| Location | Novi Sad railway station, Novi Sad, Serbia |
| Deaths | 14 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 3 |
On 1 November 2024, 14 people were killed and at least 3 others were injured when the concrete canopy of the main railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, collapsed onto people walking and sitting underneath.
The railway station was constructed in 1964. [1] With the start of renovations planned for 2021—the station being a subject of built heritage preservation with the status of a "property under prior protection"—the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad, issued conservation guidelines. [2] With respect to the canopy overhanging the main entrance, the guidelines covered its renovation in a way that preserves its visual identity, and did not address the topic of its reconstruction, as structural engineering is outside the purview of the Institute. [2] [3]
The building was renovated from 2021 to summer 2024. [1] The project included a total reconstruction of the railway platforms (including the platform underpass and canopy [lower-alpha 1] ), as well as renovations to the floors, walls, and the roof of the station building, including the replacement of the building's façade materials. [4] The work was completed by a consortium of Chinese companies China Railway International Co., Ltd (a subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited) and China Communications Construction Company, Ltd. (together: CRIC-CCCC). [5] The station was initially ceremonially reopened in 2022, before the that year's general election, but this was followed by further renovation work, and it was reopened again on 5 July 2024. The news outlet Portal 021 then requested contracts and invoices related to the renovation project from the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure and Serbian Railways Infrastructure. This request was denied, as CRIC-CCCC objected to sharing contract details with third parties until the project's completion and confirmation of satisfactory work. [6]
Both CRIC-CCCC and the state enterprise Serbian Railways Infrastructure, which operates the building, subsequently stated that the front-entrance canopy was not subject to a reconstruction and is an original part of the structure. [1] [5]
On 1 November 2024, at 11:56 CET, the station's 35 m or 115 ft–long concrete canopy collapsed onto people walking and sitting underneath. Fourteen people were killed and at least three others were injured. Thirteen of the dead were Serbian citizens and one was North Macedonian. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
About 80 rescuers from multiple cities across Serbia used heavy machinery to pull debris off of the site of the collapse, including excavators and cranes. [1] [12]
The Serbian government declared a nation-wide day of mourning for 2 November, [1] whereas the City of Novi Sad declared three days of mourning in the city. [13] Citizens lit candles and laid flowers on the Freedom Square . [14] The Novi Sad Higher Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation. [11]
Government ministers, Prime Minister of Serbia Miloš Vučević and Mayor of Novi Sad Milan Đurić visited the disaster site. [15] Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić vowed "justice" for those responsible, while opposition parties accused authorities of corruption. [16] The following day, Đurić stated that forensic investigators are examining the debris, that the cause of the disaster is unknown, that the investigation needs to conclude before any talk of resignations, that the rest of the structure appears to be in normal condition, and appealed to the citizens to "trust the state and the system", adding that the individuals responsible will be held accountable. [17]
After the collapse, many people on social media condemned the government for negligence. The main point of contention were claims by Railway Infrastructure of Serbia that the canopy had not been reconstructed. Another point of controversy was the refusal of CRIC-CCCC to publicly share documentation of the reconstruction. [18]
Several officials from the European Union have sent their condolences, [19] [20] such as the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, EU Ambassador for Serbia Emanuele Giaufret, Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković, [21] President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, [22] Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece Christos Staikouras [23] and Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Several other international officials have also sent their regards, [20] such as the Members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Denis Bećirović (Bosniaks) and Željka Cvijanović (Serbs), Minister of Communication and Traffic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Forto, Minister of Communication and Traffic of Republic of Srpska Nedeljko Čubrilović, [23] [24] the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia Akira Imamura, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, [25] President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, [26] Minister of Transport of Montenegro Maja Vukičević, [23] Norwegian Ambassador to Serbia Kristin Melson, President of Russia Vladimir Putin [27] and Chairman of the State Duma of Russia Vyacheslav Volodin. [28] [29]
The 2 November was declared a day of mourning in Republic of Srpska, [23] while the 3 November was declared in Montenegro. [30]
Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia after the capital Belgrade and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannonian Plain on the border of the Bačka and Syrmia geographical regions. Lying on the banks of the Danube river, the city faces the northern slopes of Fruška Gora and it is the fifth largest of all cities on the Danube river. It is the largest Danube city that is not the capital of an independent state.
Trekkies 2 is a 2004 American documentary film directed by Roger Nygard, and the sequel to the 1997 film Trekkies. The film travels throughout the world, mainly Europe, to show fans of Star Trek, commonly known as Trekkies. It also profiles people from the first film, including Barbara Adams and Gabriel Köerner. Also featured are Star Trek-themed punk bands from Sacramento, California, including Warp 11 and the "No Kill I" franchise.
Liman is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is located to the south of the city centre, along the Danube river, covering an area of 3.98 km2. It is a relatively new part of the city, built between 1960s and 1990s on what previously were marshes. It is divided into four parts, numbered by Roman numerals: Liman I, II, III and IV, which match the chronology of its development.
Bistrica, also known as Novo Naselje, is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. Bistrica is one of the most populated urban areas of the city.
The University of Novi Sad is a public university in Novi Sad, Serbia. Alongside nationally prestigious University of Belgrade, University of Novi Sad is one of the most important educational and research institutions in Serbia and South Eastern Europe and the flagship institution of higher education in Vojvodina. The University of Novi Sad, with almost 50,000 students and more than 5,000 employees, is one of the largest educational and research centers in Central Europe. It belongs to the group of comprehensive universities, which are characterized by providing nearly all fields of science and higher education. It is composed of 14 faculties and three scientific institutes located in four university cities - Novi Sad, Sombor, Subotica and Zrenjanin. Institution belongs to the group of comprehensive research universities with significant level of research activities.
Jugovićevo is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is currently a developing neighborhood.
The Road–Railway Bridge or Boško Perošević Bridge was a bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Serbia.
This is an article about the transport infrastructure of Novi Sad.
Avram Miletić was a merchant and writer of epic folk songs who is best known for writing the earliest collection of urban lyric poetry in Serbian between 1778 and 1781.
Novi Sad railway station is the main railroad station in Novi Sad, Serbia. The current station, located at Jaše Tomića Boulevard, was opened in 1964, after closing the old railway station from 1883 previously located at what is today the Liman fresh market. The station serves several high-speed trains to Belgrade per day and is part of the Budapest–Belgrade railway project.
The University of Novi Sad Faculty of Law, also known as the Novi Sad Law School, is a constituent body of the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The school is located on the university campus on the bank of the Danube river in the downtown district, on the opposite side of the Petrovaradin Fortress.
Schneider Electric is a Serbian company that specializes in electricity distribution, automation management and produces installation components for energy management. It is headquartered in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Pavle Tvrtković was a Serbian Orthodox priest from Bosnia who participated in the rebellion organized by priest Jovica Ilić in northeastern Ottoman Bosnia in March 1834, published a collection of Old Serbian documents in 1840, and was the Serbian court priest of Prince Mihailo Obrenović.
Serbia Fashion Week is a fashion show held twice a year in Novi Sad, Serbia. Occurring in April and November, the event attracts local and international fashion designers, such as Thierry Mugler and Anna Fendi. In addition to runway shows, seminars and exhibits, the "Fashion Talent Design Competition" helps promote young Serbian designers by showcasing their collections. The seven day festival also highlights the works of applied artists, musicians, interior decorators, multimedia experts and architects.
Nikola Škorić is a Serbian actor, comedian and screenwriter. Together with Dimitrije Banjac and Dejan Ćirjaković he is the creator and actor of several popular Serbian television show programs, including Noćna smena, Velika Srbija, Srbi u svemiru, Pravi fudbal and Državni posao. He is best known to audience in Serbia for his role of Dragan Torbica in Državni Posao.
The 2021 Triglav osiguranje Radivoj Korać Cup was the 19th season of the Serbian men's national basketball cup tournament. The tournament was held in Novi Sad between 11–14 February 2021. All games will be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia.
Jakov Milatović is a Montenegrin politician and economist who is the incumbent president of Montenegro, serving since May 2023. He previously served as the minister of economic development in the cabinet of Zdravko Krivokapić from 2020 to 2022, and as an economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London and Podgorica. He was a co-founder and until 24 February 2024 the deputy leader of Europe Now!, a liberal and pro-European political party that is the largest single party in the Montenegrin parliament.
On 1 January 2021, around 10:00 CET, in the village of Tribistovo, near the town of Posušje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, eight teenagers – four boys and four girls – of Herzegovinian Croat ethnicity were found dead in a holiday cottage after a New Year's Eve celebration. The cause of death was determined as suffocation from carbon monoxide poisoning, instigated by a power generator used to heat the cottage.
Isidora Sekulić Gymnasium is a secondary school in Novi Sad, Serbia. It is named after Isidora Sekulić, a famous Serbian writer. It was founded in 1990. The gymnasium has two educational courses, science-mathematics course and humanities-linguistics course, represented with 8 classrooms a year and 32 classrooms in total. Classes are done exclusively in Serbian.
Prince Andrew Bridge was a railway bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, current day Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was opened for traffic on 11 November 1883. It currently holds the title of the longest standing permanent bridge in Novi Sad, lasting for 61 years until its destruction on 11 April 1941 by Yugoslav army during the Invasion of Yugoslavia. It was rebuilt in 1941 and destroyed again on 22 October 1944 by the German forces during their retreat. The bridge's piers remain to this day.
Prema dokumentu koji su objavili beogradski mediji, Zavod je tražio sanaciju – zamjenu stakla i pločica – ali ne i rekonstrukciju nadstrešnice.
... bilans nesreće je 14 poginulih i troje povređenih, saoštio[ sic ] je ministar Ivica Dačić (transl. ... the toll of the accident is 14 killed and three injured, according to minister Ivica Dačić)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
