site.btaSerbian President Vucic: Deadly Tragedy in Novi Sad Was Caused by Ignorance, Not Corruption

In an interview for Insajder TV on Thursday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the collapse of the concrete canopy of the local railway station in Novi Sad that killed 15 people on November 1, 2024, was ignorance and professional error, not corruption. Vucic stated that the canopy had not been included in the renovations that the railway had undergone shortly before the tragedy.

The President was adamant: "Unfortunately, the canopy was not repaired. If it had been, the tragedy would never have happened. Never. Because someone would have checked the statics, someone would have checked the corrosion of the cables, and that would have changed everything."

Vucic stressed that corruption was not to blame for the collapse of the concrete canopy. Asked how he knew this, he replied that while corruption may have been ongoing, the collapse was caused by poor professional judgement of those involved in the reconstruction of the facility. He did not give names or positions.

Vucic said that the state has done its job and provided support to the families of the victims, that the prosecution is working, and that the government is showing respect to the students and to the representatives of the protesting opposition. He added: "I think we reacted very well, seriously and responsibly. We showed respect to the students, we showed respect to those who are protesting, who are our political opponents, because, let us not kid ourselves, in most municipalities it is the opposition councillors, which is perfectly logical. I have nothing against this, and we show respect there too, even though they break the law every day by not allowing people to move freely."

He addressed the protestors directly: "Yes, every day you violate the Constitution, but this Constitution seems to apply only to me. It does not apply to everyone else."

Vucic said that the fight against corruption is extremely important and added that the anti-corruption campaign he announced was not initiated because of the protests.

After the collapsed canopy in Novi Sad killed 15 people on November 1, 2024, a wave of protests, blockades, civil disobedience swept Serbia. The canopy collapsed even though the station had been renovated for three years including by Chinese state companies.

On January 28, 2024, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic submitted his resignation, after students were assaulted in front of the ruling party's office in Novi Sad.

At this stage, 13 people have been indicted after the deadly incident, including former minister of construction, transport and infrastructure Goran Vesic.

Lawyers, construction and architecture experts formed an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the tragedy.