Serbia must pay families of canopy crash victims €43,000 each

(Patria) - The High Court in Novi Sad ruled that the Republic of Serbia and Serbian Railways Infrastructure are obliged to pay families of those who died in last year's canopy collapse in Novi Sad approximately €166,000, Novi Sad media reported yesterday.

Four families sued two state institutions, which the court ruled are obliged to pay each family just under €43,000, as compensation for non-material damages for mental anguish suffered due to the death of a loved one.

According to the same verdict, the defendants must reimburse the plaintiffs for the costs of the court proceedings with statutory default interest. An appeal against the verdict is admissible to the Court of Appeal in Novi Sad.

In the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1 last year, 16 people died, while one was seriously injured.

This was the cause for mass anti-government student and civil protests, blockades of roads and institutions, demanding sanctions against those responsible in the Serbian government for this great tragedy.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad filed an indictment on December 30, 2024, against 13 people, including former Minister of Transport Goran Vesić and former Director of Serbian Railways Infrastructure Jelena Tanasković. However, the High Court returned the case for further investigation.

All suspects have been released from custody, and independent experts state that, despite the fact that 22,000 documents related to the reconstruction of the Novi Sad Railway Station have been published so far, key elements, such as construction logs, are still missing, contrary to what the authorities claim.