Serbia mourns train crash two years on

Thousands of students and supporters gathered in Novi Sad on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of a concrete canopy collapse that killed 16 people. The event occurred one week after a student-led movement forced the resignation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in parliamentary elections.

The protest movement began immediately after the November 1, 2024, disaster. Participants now believe that accountability for the deaths is closer than it was a year ago. This shift in sentiment coincides with the recent election victory for the Students' List over the Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS.

Protesters marched in steady rain and silence to the station where the tragedy occurred. They placed 16 wreaths and 16 red hearts outside the building, one for each victim. The group included children, and mourners laid flowers and lit candles during a moment of silence.

Many in Serbia attribute the collapse to flawed renovation work driven by corruption and negligence. The station upgrade was part of a larger railway reconstruction project involving China and Hungary. Vucic and former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban toured the renovated station in 2022.

An independent expert group investigated the failure of the structure. Their report stated that political orders caused the renovation work to be rushed. The experts alleged a systematic degradation of construction standards and said the state of Serbia violated the right to life of its citizens.

Since the SNS lost power, student leaders have demanded a review of stalled high-profile investigations. Thirteen people, including a former government minister, were previously charged in connection with the canopy collapse, but no trial took place. Prosecutors moved quickly this week to detain key figures from the previous administration.

Marko Kricak, the former chief of criminal police under Vucic, was ordered into 48-hour detention. Another senior officer was also detained on suspicion of abuse of office in a murder investigation. Kricak denied allegations that he orchestrated violence during student protests and threatened a female student with rape.

Andreas von Beckerath, head of the European Union mission in Serbia, commented on the anniversary via X. He noted that the collapse shook the country and prompted citizens to demand transparency. He added that the memory of the victims should inspire a Serbia built on public trust and the rule of law.

State television, RTS, broadcast the Sunday memorial. This marked a change from the first anniversary, when Vucic was still in power. Resignations among officials at the station occurred in the week following the election. Commemoration ceremonies were also held in other cities across Serbia.

The original collapse happened at 11:52 a.m. on a sunny autumn day. Fourteen people died at the scene, and two others died later from their injuries. A young woman survived with life-changing injuries. Authorities initially claimed the canopy had not been renovated, a statement that contradicted the later findings of the expert investigation.