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)

Motor neurone disease is not likely to stop Jai Arrow trying to bring up a career milestone in Australia's National Rugby League.

The NRL is planning an exception to its rules to allow the veteran forward a chance to be on the field for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in his 99th and 100th rugby league games for the club, if only for a few moments.

Arrow, 31, was diagnosed in May with motor neurone disease, which MND Australia describes as an umbrella term for a group of progressive neurological conditions where the motor neurones degenerate. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form, and ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

As part of an agreement with the Rabbitohs, the NRL granted South Sydney special dispensation to include Arrow as an extra player on Tuesday’s official team list and an extra substitution in their rotation for the game against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday. A similar dispensation will be allowed for South Sydney's last regular season game against Sydney Roosters.

According to the NRL, Arrow will get dressed in South Sydney playing kit for the two NRL game days in the Rabbitohs dressing room, lead the Rabbitohs team onto the field of play, be the team’s first substitution of the match within the first few seconds after the opening whistle without taking part in any play during the game, and be able to sit on the interchange bench for the remainder of the game in his playing kit.

It will bring Arrow’s tally to 180 career games in the NRL, and 100 for the Rabbitohs, on top of his representative games for Queensland in the annual State of Origin series.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said it was a chance for the sport to be a “conduit to bring out the best of humanity.”

“This thoughtful gesture by the South Sydney Rabbitohs shows the true heart of our game,” V’landys said. “Jai has inspired millions of people around the world with the courage and strength he has shown in his fight with MND. He is not only a great player, but an extraordinary person.

“Reaching 100 games for the Rabbitohs is a special achievement, one that Jai, his family and everyone who has supported him should be incredibly proud of. The entire rugby league community stands with Jai and is honored to celebrate this remarkable milestone with him.”

Rugby league star Rob Burrow and Scottish rugby union player Doddie Weir are high-profile players who have died from the illness in recent years.

See AP’s full sports coverage here

Jai Arrow of the Rabbitohs is on the field during the National Rugby League game against the Sea Eagles in Sydney, June 22, 2024. (James Gourley/AAP Image via AP)