Serbia marks Novi Sad disaster after student election win

Thousands of people gathered in Novi Sad on Sunday to honour the 16 people killed two years ago when a concrete canopy collapsed at the city's newly renovated railway station, a disaster that helped launch Serbia's student-led anti-government movement.

The anniversary came a week after a student-backed list won around 140 seats in the 250-member parliament, enough to govern alone. The movement grew after the collapse, as demands for a transparent investigation brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.

Mourners placed flowers and lit candles outside the station, where hearts bearing the victims' names had been set out. Students arrived after marching silently through rainy Novi Sad.

Dijana Hrka, whose 27-year-old son Stefan was killed in the collapse, said she hoped political change would speed up investigations. She said no one had yet been held accountable for her son's death.

Several investigations into the Novi Sad disaster are ongoing, but no trial has started. Former construction minister Goran Vesic, who resigned days after the collapse, was charged in 2025 alongside 12 others with a serious crime against public safety. Vesic is also a suspect in a separate corruption investigation into the project's finances, alongside former minister Tomislav Momirovic and others.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is separately investigating possible misuse of EU funds linked to the renovation.