After unprecedented tragedies in Novi Sad, questions resound in the public space: what caused the canopy to collapse, why was it not reconstructed, when was the railway station building reconstructed, who made the decision that the canopy does not need reconstruction, were there visible cracks on it?
Will anyone bear moral and political responsibility for the death of 14 people?
The interior work could have damaged the canopy
Construction engineer Vladimir Tijanić told N1 that it is possible that during the works that were carried out inside the station building in Novi Sad, some change occurred in the structure and that this caused the canopy to collapse.
He explained that it cannot yet be said that it is what is professionally called a "brittle fracture". Several factors could have led to this: one was the fault of the contractor, the other was the fault of the designer, but it should have been noticed at an earlier stage and should have been acted upon.
Tragedy in Novi Sad: A life-threatening system
Regarding the allegation that the works were not carried out on the canopy, but that they were done only inside the building, Tijanić said that it could have happened that during the internal works, since the canopy is supported by a cantilever, some change took place and that this led to weakening and collapsing .
Regarding the statement of Miran Pogačar, city councilor of the "Bravo" coalition, that citizens had noticed cracks in the canopy in the previous days, Tijanić said that in the event that cracks occur in buildings in public use, people should not stay there. He added that contractors and other inspectors were obliged to immediately go to the field and note that problems and changes had occurred and to react immediately.
Four basic steps
Construction engineer Aleksandar Opsenica told FoNet that there are four basic steps in the implementation of the procedures and that in each of them there could have been an error that ultimately led to the collapse of the canopy at the Railway Station in Novi Sad.
He reminded that the reconstruction of the Railway Station lasted two or three years, but that we do not know what was done as part of it and whether the goal was to do something high-quality and functional or just "makeup".
MUP RESCUE TEAMS AND EMERGENCY TEAMSRescue teams on the ground / Photo: Nenad Mihajlović
"We know what the epilogue is, but in order to find an answer to the question of who is to blame, there are many participants in the craft sense. It was done according to the project, the contractor was selected according to some offer, the supervision should have controlled it and it should have been handed over to the client with the use permit. Those are the four basic steps, and someone could have made a mistake on each of them," said Opsenica.
Five decades old bold architectural solution
In an interview with Euronews Serbia, architect Slobodan Maldini said that it is too early to talk about the causes, that the canopy is first of all more than five decades old, but also that it was a bold and unusual architectural-constructive solution due to the use of a construction with tensioners.
Novisad3Bold architectural solution: Railway station in Novi Sad / Photo: Wikipedia.org
"The architects thought it out well, because a construction with tensioners was used." It is a canopy suspended on some kind of cable, at a sharp angle, due to which it suffered a great load. The canopy has heavy concrete beams and in that sense the main question is whether those beams were sufficiently and properly reinforced, in the right zone of concrete, and secondly, whether the braces were properly anchored," said Maldini and continued:
"Anchors suffer the greatest moments of load, so the assumption can be that there was either fatigue of the material, it is also possible that some crack or some mistake was not noticed and simply the weight of such a structure caused the collapse."
In the design of an architectural solution such as the canopy of the Railway Side in Novi Sad, as a rule, light architectural constructions, i.e. light elements, are used.
Possible oversight
"Here is an unusual system of using tensioners that carry strong concrete beams." In the design sense, it can be said, not that it is an omission, but the inconsistency of the designer, while in the contractor's sense, we do not know how those beams are reinforced. The third thing is precisely in the exploitation itself. I guess there wasn't enough supervision to notice the cracks that led to this collapse. The investigation will lead to detailed analyses"
"It was done for aesthetics and good looks, but it was not accompanied by good construction documentation and I guess we got to the problem after 50 years and more when such a structure was ripe for restoration."
Reactions to the tragedy at the railway station in Novi Sad
The architect points out that during the renovation of the railway station, a potential mistake was also made by the one who judged that the canopy should not be renovated.
"In terms of architecture, something that looks nice can have cracks inside and be a problem. This should be an appeal for all architectural structures to be built according to the standards and norms that require them to be able to carry the loads they carry, that special caution is required when carrying out works, i.e. that there is no saving in materials, and regular control of all this is required during exploitation. ", said Maldini.
He also says that it is difficult to talk about who is responsible for the tragedy, primarily because of the passage of time and "maintenance or non-maintenance of that part of the architectural object."
Unsafe superstructure
"A massive steel structure with heavy glass was added to the existing reinforced concrete console, anchored with steel profiles for the roof, which led to the pulling out of the anchors and the breakage of the console supports," wrote Danijel Dašić, a civil engineer and civil activist, on his X account.
Fourteen killed, three seriously injured
U tragedy in Novi Sad, where the canopy above the entrance door of the Railway Station collapsed, 14 people died, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday evening.
Acting Director of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Vesna Turkulov, stated that three people who were pulled out of the ruins were brought to the Emergency Center in a very serious condition and that their lives are still in danger after the operation.
The mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić, said that more than 30 people were injured.
Vesić: The canopy was not reconstructed
The Minister of Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, said on the spot that the canopy was not reconstructed as part of the works at the Railway Station, which can allegedly be seen from the construction permit.
"This part of the station has not been reconstructed and you can see that from the construction permit," said Vesić, referring to the Traffic Institute CIP doo, whose portal states that it is "a leading design and engineering company in Serbia and the Balkan region in the field of research, planning, design, technology, technical control and supervision in the traffic and transportation sector, construction, architecture, hydrotechnics, geodesy, geotechnics, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering".
Consortium of Chinese firms CRIC-CCC (China Railway International Co. Ltd i China Communications Construction Company Ltd), who was carrying out works at the Railway Station in Novi Sad, announced that the concrete canopy that collapsed was not the subject of works within the reconstruction.
Station_Novi_Sad_24Completed rescue and clearance operation: Photo: Tanjug/OMK Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia
The minister emphasized that it must be determined who decided that the canopy is safe and that it does not need to be reconstructed, and that this will be determined by the competent authorities in the coming days.
"All those who threatened people's safety, directly or indirectly, will bear responsibility," said Vesić.
Railway traffic will be restored when the clearing of the ruins is completed and when expert teams check the complete statics of the station building.
Day of mourning
Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said that this is one of the most difficult days in the post-war history of Novi Sad and a terrible tragedy. On behalf of the Government and all citizens of Serbia, he expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked all the rescuers who are fighting to help people under the ruins.
Photo: Tanjug/ Nenad MihajlovićPrime Minister Miloš Vucevic
"We will insist that those responsible are found, that those who had to take care of the condition of the structure and who had to inform the competent authorities that certain things must be repaired are held accountable," said Vucevic.
The government declared Saturday, November 2, as the Day of Mourning in Serbia.
The President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik sent his condolences to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the families of those killed in the accident in Novi Sad and stated that November 2 will also be a day of mourning in the Republika Srpska.
Vučić: Those responsible for the tragedy will be punished
"I express my sincere condolences on behalf of the Republic of Srpska and on my own behalf to Vučić and the families of the victims of the accident in Novi Sad." We grieve for the victims and sympathize with the pain of their families. "Tomorrow, a day of mourning will be declared in Republika Srpska," said Dodik.
The prosecutor takes all measures
The Railway Infrastructures of Serbia also say that the canopy of the Railway Station in Novi Sad was not the subject of reconstruction as part of the works on the renovation of the station building as part of the Novi Sad-Subotica high-speed rail construction project. They say that the interior of the station, the roof and the facade above and below the canopy were worked on as part of the reconstruction.
The Public Prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad conducts an investigation together with the police, competent inspectors and other services at the Railway Station building where the canopy collapsed. The prosecutor undertakes all measures and actions in accordance with the law, in order to determine all relevant facts and circumstances related to the cause of the occurrence of that event.
