Thousands rally in Serbia's capital demanding snap elections after months of protests

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied on Friday in Serbia's capital demanding early elections following seven months of persistent anti-corruption protests that have shaken the populist rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.

The protest in Belgrade was organized by Serbia's university students, who have been a key force behind the nationwide demonstrations triggered by a collapse on Nov. 1 of a concrete train station canopy in the country's north that killed 16 people.

Many people in Serbia believe that the deadly crash was the result of flawed renovation work on the station building, and they link the disaster to alleged government corruption in major infrastructure projects with Chinese state companies.

Protesting university students have been demanding accountability for the crash and the rule of law in Serbia, a Balkan nation that is formally seeking European Union entry but where the ruling populists have been accused of clamping down on democratic freedoms.

After months-long protests drawing hundreds of thousands of people, the student movement is now seeking a snap vote, arguing that the current government cannot meet their demands for justice for the crash victims. Presidential and parliamentary elections are otherwise due some time in 2027.

Vucic, whom critics accuse of an increasingly authoritarian rule despite the proclaimed EU bid, initially dismissed early elections but on Friday suggested they may be held, though without saying exactly when.

No one has been sentenced in connection with the tragedy in the northern city of Novi Sad. Authorities have indicted over a dozen people but doubts prevail that the proceedings will uncover the alleged corruption behind the crash.

A huge, noisy column of protesters in Belgrade marched by the state prosecutor's offices before reaching the government building. They carried a big banner urging elections.

Maja Rancic said she was hopeful the protests can bring about changes: ”I really hope and wish, and I think it will happen.”

Vucic's government has stepped up pressure on the protesting students and Serbia's universities, claiming without proof that they were instructed by foreign powers to stage a revolution in the country.

Students are planning more protests all over the country this weekend.

A street vendor sells whistles and Serbian flags during a protest, seven months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

University students and people march during a protest, seven months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

University students and people march during a protest, seven months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

University students and people march during a protest, seven months after the deadly train station tragedy that sparked mass demonstrations against corruption in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

MALE, Maldives (AP) — Finnish divers on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, an official said.

The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them.

Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining two bodies on Wednesday.

The announcement that two bodies were recovered on Tuesday was made by presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef.

Maldives government spokesman Ahmed Shaam had earlier said that the three Finnish divers would retrieve the bodies, which were lying at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). The legal depth for recreational diving in the Maldives is 30 meters (nearly 100 feet).

The government of the Indian Ocean island nation on Monday said that the bodies were spotted in the innermost part of the cave by the three Finnish diving experts, supported by the Maldives police and the military.

“As was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside the cave, not only inside the cave, but well inside the cave into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part,” Shaam said.

He said that the four bodies were found “pretty much together."

The Divers’ Alert Network Europe, which deployed the three Finnish divers, said on its website that they are technical and cave divers with international experience in search and recovery missions, including operations in “deep overhead environments, confined spaces and high-risk scenarios.”

The team used advanced technical systems, including closed-circuit rebreathers, a system that recycles exhaled breathing gas and removes carbon dioxide through a chemical scrubber, allowing for “significantly longer dives,” the organization said.

The body of a fifth Italian — a diving instructor — was found earlier outside the cave on the day they were reported missing. The five were exploring a cave at a depth of about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry.

Initial teams had already dived to identify and mark the entrance to the cave system where the Italians disappeared.

In this handout photo release by Maldives President Media Division, a Finnish diver gets ready to attempt to recover the bodies of two of the four Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll earlier this month, at Alimathaa Island, in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Maldives President Media Division via AP)

In this handout photo release by Maldives President Media Division, a Finnish diver, left, gets ready to attempt to recover the bodies of two of the four Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll earlier this month, at Alimathaa Island, in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Maldives President Media Division via AP)

This image released by the Maldives President's Media Division, shows divers preparing to search for the four missing Italian divers near Alimathaa Island, Vaavu Atoll, Maldives, Saturday, May 15, 2026. (Maldives President's Media Division via AP)