Eleven people arrested following collapse at train station

Eleven people, including a former minister, were arrested to be questioned as part of the investigation into the collapse of the concrete canopy at Novi Sad station, in Serbia, which left 15 dead, announced Thursday November 21, the prosecution in a press release. These arrests come after the prosecution “collected and carefully analyzed all the necessary documents, conducted interviews with a large number of citizens and received an analysis aimed at determining the causes and circumstances of the collapse”adds the press release.

Among those interviewed by investigators is the former construction minister, Goran Vesic, who resigned on November 4. “I was not arrested, I voluntarily responded to the call of the police with whom I went to Novi Sad, and I made myself available to the investigators so that all the circumstances leading to the Novi Sad accident be examined in detail »he reacted on Facebook.

“I will always remain at the disposal of the competent authorities and I will prove that I bear no criminal responsibility for these tragic events”continues Mr. Vesic, referring to his lawyers for “any further development”. His predecessor in this position and until then holder of the trade portfolio within the government, Tomislav Momirovic, resigned on Wednesday.

Consortium of four companies

Since the collapse of the awning, the 1^is November shortly before noon, demonstrations are regularly organized to ask the justice system to move more quickly and to arrest those responsible.

The opposition and part of the population are also demanding the publication of contracts signed with the companies that participated in the renovation work at the station in this town in northern Serbia. A consortium made up of four companies – two Chinese, China Railway International and China Communications Construction, one French, Egis, and one Hungarian, Utiber – was responsible for the renovation.

The work had been completed for several weeks when the building's concrete canopy collapsed, instantly killing 14 people aged between 6 and 74, and injuring three others. One of the injured succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 15.