A concrete roof above the entrance to a train station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed on Friday, killing at least eight people.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said at least four other people had been hospitalized with serious injuries, while rescuers made contact with two people, including a young girl, who were still buried under pile of concrete, the BBC reported.
“I thank the rescuers, police officers, doctors, technicians and nurses who are fighting for every life and to save people under the ruins,” Dacic said in a social media post. “They are fighting a superhuman battle.”
Ambulances and other emergency teams were dispatched to the city center train station and bulldozers were clearing debris in search of survivors.
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Surveillance camera footage showed people entering and exiting the building and sitting on benches on a clear, sunny day before the concrete structure suddenly collapsed on them. The building has recently been renovated.
Dacic said the rescue operation was “extremely tough” and would last at least several more hours.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said that “it is a black Friday for us, for all of Serbia.”
Vucevic said the roof was built in 1964 and an investigation is underway to determine what happened and who is responsible for the tragedy.
Images posted on social media showed several ambulances and fire trucks at the scene, outside the station. Two excavators could also be seen digging into the pile of rubble.
Novi Sad station reopened in July after three years of renovation work. Construction work was still underway in parts of the station.
A high-speed rail link between Novi Sad and the capital Belgrade opened in March 2022.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
