Serbia marks anniversary of deadly train station disaster with large rally

NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people from all over Serbia commemorated the victims of a railway station disaster a year ago in the northern city of Novi Sad in a gathering on Saturday seen as a massive display of discontent with the government of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic.

The collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station last Nov. 1 killed 16 people. The tragedy triggered youth-led street protests and a nationwide movement demanding political changes that have seriously shaken Vucic's tight hold on power.

The protesters believe that the concrete construction at the renovated station building in Novi Sad collapsed because rampant corruption and nepotism in state infrastructure projects with China led to fatal disregard of safety rules. No one has been held responsible though 13 people have been charged.

University student Nadja Solaja told the crowd that the disaster was a “crime and murder" and not an accident. Authorities, Solaja said “have blood on their hands.” She was using a slogan that has marked the past year of protests along with a symbolic red-colored hand print.

Dijana Hrka, the mother of Stefan Hrka, one of the victims, said she would launch a hunger strike in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, on Sunday. Hrka said that “I must know who killed my child. Someone must be held accountable for this.”

Saturday’s ceremonies first started with 16 minutes of silence for the 16 victims at exactly 11:52 a.m., the time of the collapse. The rally ended hours later with another 16-minute commemorative silence in the evening.

University students behind the gathering promised to keep up their struggle, holding a banner reading, “See you tomorrow and every other day until there is justice.”

Earlier, people laid wreaths and lit candles outside the station.

“We are here to pay our respects and express our sorrow,” Vera Jaramazovic, who came from the northern town of Subotica, said. “This society is suffering, suffering hard.”

Vucic on Saturday attended a church service in Belgrade while the Serbian government hastily declared a day of mourning.

He has cracked down on the protesters in recent months, with police detaining hundreds of people and using tear gas and batons to disperse rallies. The huge turnout on Saturday suggested that protesters' resolve remains strong.

On the eve of the commemoration, Vucic apologized to the student protesters after previously threatening mass arrests and routinely branding them as “terrorists” instructed by the West to topple him and destroy Serbia.

“I have said some things that I am now sorry for saying,” Vucic said in a TV address that called for dialogue. He reiterated that call in an Instagram post on Saturday while saying that “we will look for the truth in the institutions, patiently and with full respect.”

Doubts prevail in the Serbian public that judicial proceedings would untangle the alleged top-level corruption web that critics say led to the fatal negligence during the station building renovation.

Student protesters dismissed Vucic's apology. They are demanding an early parliamentary election that they hope would oust the populist government.

While Vucic toned down his rhetoric, authorities canceled train service to Novi Sad, preventing some protesters from travel. Others streamed into Novi Sad in cars, on bikes or on foot.

Serbia is seeking European Union entry but the accession process has stalled as Vucic nurtured close relations with Russia and China while also clamping down on democratic freedoms to achieve full control.

The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on X that the canopy tragedy “is changing Serbia.”

“It moved masses to stand for accountability, free expression and inclusive democracy, ” Kos said. “They are the same values to lead Serbia into the EU.”

On Friday evening, massive crowds lined up the streets of Novi Sad to welcome thousands of mainly young people who trekked across Serbia for the past two weeks ahead of the rally. Many people cried as they hugged the students upon arrival, some of whom had walked for 400 kilometers (240 miles) before reaching the city.

Associated Press writers Jovana Gec and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.

People place heart shaped banners carrying the names of the victims next to floral tributes outside the train station on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

People fill the streets near the train station before observing 16 minutes of silence for the victims on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

A man clutches a Serbian outside the train station on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

People gather outside the train station on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A woman cries before lighting a candle by floral tributes outside the train station on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

People observe 16 minutes of silence in memory of the victims, outside the train station on the first anniversary of the disaster that killed 16 people, in Novi Sad, Serbia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

BERLIN (AP) — European soccer federations told UEFA they are not happy with the new extended four-game blocks of international matches that finished this week.

Injured players like Kylian Mbappé missed too many games, Erling Haaland asked to come off in Norway’s fourth match, resources were stretched for coaches in smaller countries and extra demands were made on the time and money of fans and sponsors.

A “disaster,” said one official among multiple federations who spoke to The Associated Press on the sidelines of a closed-doors UEFA meeting Thursday in Berlin. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential debate.

UEFA said it will gather their views to weigh a submission to FIFA about the 16-day block that combined what used to be separate two-game breaks in September and October.

Still, the four-game early-season block is locked in for four more years on the FIFA-managed calendar for international matches that is finalized through 2030. That year national teams in Europe will play four games between Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. Next year they will be qualifying games for the 2028 European Championship.

Fewer but longer breaks for international games have long been wanted by European clubs seeking to limit disruption to their seasons, and cut long-haul travel for their players from outside the continent.

Still, the past three weeks have not been popular with one Champions League club, whose coach led his national team Croatia for two years including at the 2014 World Cup.

“We now have the issue of not only having the occasional player coming back injured, but also the fact you go two or 2½ weeks without any momentum,” Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač said this week. “We’re all starting from scratch now, in a sense.”

Outside of Europe, FIFA has said the longer break allowed time for regional tournaments like the eight-team Arabian Gulf Cup played Sept. 23-Oct. 6 in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA pushed to condense international breaks in 2021 as part of its biennial World Cup proposal, and later updated its calendar for men’s soccer.

The calendar mandates when clubs must release players for international duty, including the World Cup, where FIFA pays hundreds of millions of dollars to clubs worldwide whose players represented their national teams.

After the UEFA meeting Thursday, officials said only Azerbaijan among the 55 member federations spoke out in clear defense of FIFA’s management of the calendar.

The four-game break followed two months after the longest-ever World Cup, the first with 48 teams and where Norway played into July after reaching the quarterfinals.

“For those who play in the Champions League and have had little vacation, it’s more brutal than for the others,” Norway coach Stale Solbakken said of the schedule and after substituting Haaland in the second half of a loss Sunday to Portugal.

Haaland faces an intense week with Manchester City, going to Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League then hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.

European national teams next call up players for camps starting Nov. 9 to play two games that complete the Nations League group phase.

AP Sports Writer Ciarán Fahey contributed to this report

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken embraces Norway's Erling Haaland as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Norway in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)

Slovenia's Erik Janza, left, and Scotland's Ben Gannon-Doak battle for the ball during the Nations League soccer match between Scotland and Slovenia in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday Oct. 6, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

France's Kylian Mbappe lieas on the ground after he scored and injured himself during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Turkey and France in Izmit, Turkey, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Norway's Erling Haaland applauds the fans when leaving the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Norway in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Vieira)