Rescuers work on the scene the place the roof of a practice station collapsed, killing a number of individuals, in Novi Unhappy, Serbia November 1, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters

A concrete roof above the doorway of a railway station within the northern Serbian metropolis of Novi Unhappy collapsed Friday, killing at the very least 13 individuals, with extra feared buried underneath the rubble.

Inside Minister Ivica Dacic stated that three individuals have been rescued and hospitalized with severe accidents, and that he didn’t anticipate the dying toll to rise a lot additional.

“Once we had eight victims, we knew that there have been 5 extra individuals underneath the rubble for whom we couldn’t set up whether or not they have been alive or useless,” Dacic informed reporters.

He stated they didn’t present any indicators of life.

“Demise occurred on the spot,” Dacic added.

Ambulances and different emergency groups have been dispatched to the downtown station and bulldozers have been eradicating the particles in search of survivors. Some 80 rescuers have been on the scene as heavy equipment eliminated giant elements of the rubble.

Surveillance digicam footage confirmed individuals shifting out and in of the constructing and sitting on benches on a vivid, sunny day earlier than the concrete cover instantly collapsed. The constructing was just lately renovated.

Dacic stated the rescue operation was “extraordinarily onerous” and that it could final for a number of extra hours.

Serbia’s authorities declared Nov. 2 a day of mourning. Residents of Novi Unhappy have been lighting candles throughout the road from the railway station in an expression of grief for the misplaced lives.

Prime Minister Milos Vucevic stated, “This can be a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia.”

Vucevic stated the roof was in-built 1964 and an investigation was underway to find out what occurred and who’s liable for the tragedy.

The renovated station was inaugurated by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his populist ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, over two years in the past as a serious stopover for the deliberate quick practice line between Belgrade and Budapest.

Serbia’s state railway firm stated the accident occurred at 11:50 a.m. native time. The corporate stated the construction above the station entrance was not touched throughout the latest renovation.