Belgrade, 1 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Thousands of people in Serbia ushered in the New Year with a silent protest demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a railway station canopy, local media reported.

In the capital Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad, participants in the student-led demonstrations observed 15 minutes of silence from 23:52 to 00:07, the Danas newspaper reported.

Protesters have been demonstrating since the accident on November 1, in which 15 people were killed and dozens more injured in Novi Sad.

The reconstruction of the train station was part of a project by Chinese companies to rebuild the railway line from Belgrade to Budapest in Hungary.

Critics of the government under President Aleksandar Vučić and external specialists say the roof collapsed due to corruption and sloppy work.

The New Year's Eve protestors carried placards bearing slogans such as "There is no new year, you still owe us the old one," or a red handprint.

Earlier in the evening Vučić told Prva TV he was not afraid of the student protestors as all their demands had been meet.

On Monday, the Serbian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office brought charges against 13 people over the accident. Among the accused is former construction minister Goran Vesić, who resigned in the aftermath.

Photo: EPA