The government of Serbia announced a day of mourning on Saturday after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad on Friday, with protesters assembling outside the government building in Belgrade with hands painted red to demand answers following the tragedy amid allegations of corruption and negligence.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić came forward on Sunday to offer further detail into the efforts of the government to determine who was responsible. He said that 26 people had been questioned Saturday “on the Novi Sad Police Directorate’s premises, with coordination from the Criminal Police Directorate and in the presence of prosecutors.” Five others were scheduled to be questioned on Sunday. Transport Minister Goran Vesic stated that he has fully cooperated with the police and intends to continue to do so to until the cause of the collapse is uncovered.

Although Dačić has confirmed that important evidence from the scene of the collapse is in police custody, insight into who is responsible has been less forthcoming. According to Reuters, the railway station has been subject to a series of renovations by the government, state owned company Serbian Railways and a Chinese consortium that has allegedly refused to share documentation. None of those involved in the renovations have claimed fault. 

Fourteen people lost their lives when the concrete railway station canopy collapsed, while three were rescued from beneath the rubble and taken to hospital. The survivors remain in critical condition. Speaking on the rescue operation, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić, said:

Rescue teams arrived within minutes of the emergency call, with over 80 rescuers from multiple cities participating in the operation and heavy machinery from the Ministry of the Interior, as well as equipment from city utilities and certain private companies, utilised in the rescue efforts.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.