Belgrade: A concrete roof above the entrance of a railway station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed Friday, killing at least 11 people, with many more still buried under the rubble.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that three other people were rescued and hospitalised with serious injuries, while more are feared dead.
“Probably there will be several more people (dead),” Dacic said. “Personally I saw a body that we could not reach. There will be more, this number will not be the final one.” Ambulances and other emergency teams were dispatched to the downtown station and bulldozers were removing the debris looking for survivors. Some 80 rescuers were at the scene as heavy machinery removed large parts of the rubble.
Surveillance camera footage showed people moving in and out of the building and sitting on benches on a bright, sunny day before the concrete canopy suddenly collapsed. The building was recently renovated.
Dacic said the rescue operation was “extremely hard” and that it would last for several more hours.
Serbia’s government declared November 2 a day of mourning.
Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said, “This is a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia.” Vucevic said the roof was built in 1964 and an investigation was underway to determine what happened and who was responsible for the tragedy.
Serbia’s state railway company said the accident happened at 11:50 am local time. The company said the structure above the station entrance was not touched during the recent renovation.
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