BELGRADE, November 1. /TASS/. The number of people killed after a roof collapsed at the entrance of a railway station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad has risen to 13, the country’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.
"When the death toll stood at eight, we knew that there were five more people trapped under the rubble but we weren’t sure if they were alive or dead," the Tanjug news agency quoted Dacic as saying.
The interior minister thanked everyone who had taken part in a rescue operation, adding that efforts were underway to identify the victims. "It’s a dire picture. All these concrete constructions will have to be removed," Dacic added.
The Serbian government declared November 2 a day of national mourning.
President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska (one of the two constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina) expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and also declared a day of mourning. Novi Sad Mayor Milan Duric declared three days of mourning in the city, starting on Saturday.
The 50-meter-long concrete roof above the entrance of the railway station collapsed earlier on Friday. The causes of the incident have not been established yet.