Prosecutors in Serbia arrest 12 people over roof collapse at train station that killed 15

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Twelve people have been arrested in Serbia in connection with a roof collapse earlier this month at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad that killed 15 people and severely injured two others, prosecutors said Thursday.

The suspects, who have not been identified, face charges of committing criminal acts against public security, causing public danger and irregular construction work, the Higher Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad said in a statement. They face up to 12 years in prison.

The prosecutor’s office first announced that 11 people were arrested. Later on Thursday they said one more person was detained and another one remains at large.

Serbian media reported that Goran Vesic, who resigned as construction minister after the collapse, was among those detained. Vesic said on X he came in voluntarily.

The arrests came after a wave of protests erupted over the tragedy demanding that those responsible be brought to justice and punished. Many in Serbia believe that the roof collapse was the result of corruption and a lack of transparency that led to sloppy work in the renovation of the station building.

Opposition politicians behind the protests said they were skeptical of the announced arrests and called for the case to be handled by organized crime prosecutors.

“They (prosecutors) have avoided mentioning the deaths of the people and corruption and those are key,” said Borislav Novakovic, a former mayor of Novi Sad. “For the past 20 days all suspects could influence witnesses, tamper with evidence and alter documentation.”

Opposition lawmakers and other protesters on Wednesday clashed with police outside the court building in Novi Sad for a third day in a row, demanding indictments over the roof collapse and the release from detention of activists who were jailed during earlier rallies.

Serbia’s authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic described opposition protests on Thursday as “terror” and “brutal violence by certain political factors.” Vucic said “we will defeat the thugs and bullies … we are not afraid.”

The railway station building in Novi Sad was originally built in 1964. It was renovated twice in recent years as part of a wider infrastructure deal with Chinese state companies.

The huge roof collapsed on Nov. 1. Initially, 14 people died and three were severely injured, but one of the injured people died on Sunday.