At least 14 people were killed on Friday when a concrete roof above the entrance of a railway station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said, “When we had eight victims, we knew that there were five more people under the rubble for whom we could not establish whether they were alive or dead.”
Dacic said those recovered had been killed “on the spot.”
Earlier Dacic said, “Over 80 rescuers are involved, with the assistance of heavy machinery.”
Emergency workers at the scene were working work with excavation crews using heavy machinery to cut and dig through the collapsed structure to locate and rescue any further survivors.
The Blood Transfusion Institute in Novi Sad called on residents to donate blood.
Station recently renovated
It was not immediately clear what caused the partial collapse, but the Novi Sad Railway Station had only reopened in July after three years of renovation work.
Construction work was still ongoing in parts of the building.
Surveillance footage showed people entering and exiting the building and sitting on benches on a sunny day before the concrete structure suddenly collapsed.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic described it as “a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia.”
“We will insist on finding those responsible, those who should have ensured the structure’s safety. My condolences to the families of the deceased,” he said.
The Serbian government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning.
js,lo/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)
