00:00This street in the Serbian city of Novi Sad is lined with a makeshift memorial.
00:06People have gathered in silence to light candles, lay flowers and leave teddy bears
00:11in memory of those whose lives were so tragically cut short last week.
00:15At least 14 people, the youngest of whom was a six-year-old girl,
00:19died on Friday when the canopy over the entrance to Novi Sad Central Station collapsed.
00:25But beneath the sorrow at this vigil, anger is brewing.
00:28Many here are saying that this tragedy was a crime born out of corruption.
00:33Demands for accountability and answers echo through the crowd
00:37as people seek justice for the city's devastating loss.
00:41This is no longer normal.
00:43It's really not normal.
00:45Children are being lost.
00:47Look at the people with small children.
00:49Those children who have suffered will never return.
00:53I don't know what to do now.
00:55Should we worry about the traffic light falling on us?
00:58If he is responsible, sir...
01:01I mean, everyone here knows who is responsible.
01:04I wouldn't mention his name.
01:06The station, which was built in the early 1960s,
01:09recently underwent renovation as part of Serbia's drive to modernize its railway.
01:14Novi Sad is a major stop on the Belgrade to Budapest high-speed railway link.
01:18In 2022, part of the link was opened by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
01:23and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
01:26Reconstruction of the train station was completed just over two years later.
01:31Now, however, the entrance of the station lies in ruins.
01:35While rescuers were still searching for the missing under the rubble,
01:38President Vucic promised that those responsible would be severely punished
01:43and called for political responsibility.
01:46Officials now insist that the canopy was not part of the renovation work.
01:51I only know that it is almost incredible that we did not renovate the canopy for 60 years.
01:59When we renovated everything and invested a lot of money,
02:03we only did not renovate the canopy.
02:06Why? I don't know.
02:08Someone will probably provide the answers.
02:11Geological engineer Zoran Djajic has already presented evidence
02:15indicating that the canopy was, in fact, renovated.
02:20He was involved in the project as a consultant supervising stonework.
02:24And in one of his reports, he recommended the inspection and repair of the roof,
02:29which held up the canopy by means of metal rods.
02:33If it was done, I suppose that someone in charge of the other part,
02:41that is, the statics, the construction and so on,
02:45would have seen what the basis was and would have asked
02:49if it was necessary to intervene on those rods.
02:52After last week's accident, citizens began sharing photos
02:56that showed that the canopy had indeed been reconstructed
02:59and that a steel frame with glass had also been added.
03:03The rods were designed to withstand a certain weight per square centimetre.
03:12Obviously, that weight was added so much
03:17that the connection between the rod and the concrete,
03:21which was also in such a bad condition for these rods,
03:24could not withstand it, and then it just collapsed.
03:27Local journalist Dragana Prica has been following the station's reconstruction work for years.
03:33Two Chinese companies were responsible for the renovation work,
03:37while a Hungarian firm was entrusted with supervision.
03:40However, she says, the work was shrouded in secrecy
03:44as the Ministry refused to provide official documents.
03:48They say that they cannot disclose this information
03:52because the Chinese partner does not agree to disclose it to a third party.
03:56To this day, we do not know what is in the contract,
03:59we do not know who they cooperated with.
04:01Obviously, there are some subcontractors.
04:03We do not know what the additional works were.
04:05Obviously, there were subcontractors.
04:07As calls for accountability grow louder,
04:10both citizens and opposition figures vow
04:13that this tragedy will not become just another chapter
04:16in a decade of scandals that have rocked Serbia and gone unpunished.
