Serbia Commemoration: Two Years After Novi Sad Station Collapse

Thousands of students and supporters gathered in steady rain on Sunday, November 1, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of a deadly infrastructure failure in Novi Sad. The concrete canopy at the city's train station collapsed on this date in 2024, killing 16 people. The memorial took place exactly one week after a student movement helped defeat the long-ruling government of Aleksandar Vucic in parliamentary elections.

Participants carried 16 wreaths and 16 red hearts to the station building, placing one item for each victim. The names of the deceased, which included children, were inscribed on the tributes. Attendees lit candles and observed a moment of silence. Unlike the first anniversary, which drew massive crowds while Vucic remained in power, this year's event was characterized by a quieter tone. Organizers reported that participants felt a renewed sense of hope regarding the legal proceedings against those responsible for the disaster.

The collapse occurred at 11:52 a.m. on a sunny autumn day. The concrete structure from the outer front wall of the station fell without warning, crushing people waiting for trains. Fourteen individuals died at the scene, and two others succumbed to their injuries later. One young woman survived with life-altering injuries. Authorities initially claimed the canopy had not been renovated, but an independent investigation by a group of experts later found that the work had been rushed under political orders. The report alleged a systematic degradation of construction standards and stated that the state of Serbia violated its citizens' right to life.

The renovation project was part of a larger railway reconstruction effort involving China and Hungary. Vucic and his Hungarian ally, former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, toured the renovated station in 2022. Many in Serbia believe the canopy failed due to flawed renovation work driven by corruption and negligence within state infrastructure projects. A student speaker during Sunday's ceremony described the event as a murder that demands accountability and justice. The student promised that the country's young people would build a more just society and that the victims would not be forgotten.

The student movement, which organized the protest campaign following the 2024 collapse, has demanded a review of high-profile investigations since winning the election. Previously, 13 people had been charged in connection with the canopy collapse, including a government minister. However, no trial was held as the probe stalled. The Students' List defeated the Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, in last Sunday's vote. The SNS had been in power for 14 years before the election, during which time it gradually took control of state institutions.

In a related development on Sunday, prosecutors ordered the 48-hour detention of Marko Kricak, Vucic's chief of criminal police. Another senior officer was detained alongside Kricak on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with a murder investigation. Kricak had been accused of orchestrating violence during the student protests and of personally threatening a female student with rape. He has denied these allegations.

Andreas von Beckerath, the head of the European Union mission in Serbia, commented on the event via the social media platform X. He wrote that the canopy collapse shook Serbia to its core and moved citizens across the country to demand transparency and accountability. Beckerath added that the memory of the victims should keep inspiring a Serbia built on solidarity, public trust, and the rule of law.

State television station RTS broadcast the anniversary memorial on Sunday. This coverage followed resignations among officials at the TV station during the week following the election. Commemoration ceremonies were also held in other cities and towns throughout Serbia. Some of the student-led rallies held over the last two years were among the largest anti-government protests in the country's history. The protests began almost immediately after the 2024 collapse, with people blocking traffic daily at the exact time of the disaster.