Eleven Arrested Over Serbia Train Station Disaster Killing 16

Eleven people, including former Serbian infrastructure minister Tomislav Momirovic and former acting director of the Serbian Railway Infrastructure company Nebojsa Surlan, were arrested in connection with the November 2024 collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy that killed 16 people. The disaster, widely blamed on corruption and poor oversight, triggered mass student-led protests and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and the fall of his government. Prosecutors allege that Momirovic, Surlan, and others enabled China Railway International and China Communications Construction (CRI-CCC) to illegally overcharge more than $1.2 billion for work, resulting in over $18 million in illegal financial gains for CRI-CCC. Another former transport minister, Goran Vesic, who resigned shortly after the accident, is wanted in the case but was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery. The incident has sparked ongoing protests across Serbia demanding transparent investigations and early elections to address corruption and government accountability, with demonstrators accusing President Aleksandar Vucic's administration of ties to organized crime and media suppression, allegations Vucic denies. The involvement of Chinese companies and inflated invoicing has intensified scrutiny over the reconstruction projects and the broader issue of corruption in Serbia.