Serbia's canopy collapse, two years on in a changed country

Aljazeera
53 followers
Nov 1, 2026
This was the moment that transformed Serbian society.
A concrete canopy collapsed,
killing 16 people and gravely injuring the sole survivor.
It had just been renovated,
part of an expensive railway renovation project awarded
to Chinese companies. The Novi Sad
station was only a small piece of it,
but it became the part the entire project will be remembered for.
Two years on, people still honor the victims,
standing in silence for 16 minutes every week.
It became the symbol of a protest with one central demand –
name and prosecute those responsible.
Today, three separate cases address the tragedy,
yet not a single trial has begun.
Thirteen people, including a former minister, have been indicted.
The inquiry commission came to the conclusion
that there is a basis for the claim,
that there is a basis for the suspicion
that the assault was a consequence
Months after the collapse,
responding to protesters,
the government began
releasing thousands
of project documents.
An investigation has been launched by the organized crime prosecutor
and an independent inquiry into the released documents as well.
But experts say the government hasn't disclosed
an essential element in these investigations
– the records that show how much money was transferred and to whom.
We have a rough estimate, taking into account the inflation,
the growth of the price of construction materials,
and the fact that about 700-750 million euros are there.
What is especially scary is that this corruption
was not only led to the theft of money,
but also to smuggling and to poor quality work.
Two years after protesters took to the streets, enraged by the tragedy,
they have propelled the new government into power.
Serbians now expect answers to what happened in Novi Sad.
Among the questions,
Did former president Aleksandar Vucic secretly pardon any
of the accused officials just before he left office?
