BELGRADE (Reuters) – A teenager injured in the November roof collapse at a railway station in Serbia’s Novi Sad died on Friday, becoming the 16th fatality linked to a disaster that has triggered a wave of mass protests and the resignation of the prime minister.
The patient, identified by the Military Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade only as V.C., 18, was among the three injured who were rescued from under the rubble on November 1. One of them died 16 days later, and one other remains in hospital.
“Despite all the treatment measures … and the maximum dedication of the VMA staff, the patient succumbed to complex injuries and resulting complications,” the hospital said in a statement.
Many in Serbia have tied the Novi Sad disaster to widespread corruption and mismanagement. The authorities and populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party deny those accusations.
The disaster also triggered a wave of mass protests by students and opponents of government policies across the country, including a huge rally last week in Belgrade.
Prosecutors have charged 13 people over the Novi Sad case, and the government has announced an anti-corruption campaign. Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and two ministers have also resigned, triggering the collapse of the government. The president faces the task of nominating a new prime minister or calling a snap election.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
