Serbia's trade minister resigns following deadly roof collapse

BELGRADE, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Serbia's Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade, Tomislav Momirovic, has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Wednesday, national public broadcaster RTS reported.

Momirovic's resignation came after President Aleksandar Vucic said that additional government officials would bear political responsibility for the tragic collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station on Nov. 1.

That incident left 15 dead and two critically injured after the falling canopy trapped 17 people under rubble.

Although the accident is not under Momirovic's current portfolio, he served as minister of construction, transport, and infrastructure from 2020 to 2022. Goran Vesic, the minister of construction at the time of the incident, resigned shortly after the tragedy.

RTS also reported that Jelena Tanaskovic, acting director of the state enterprise Serbian Infrastructure Railways, has stepped down.

The tragedy has sparked a public outcry, with opposition protests erupting in Novi Sad and Belgrade. On Wednesday, clashes took place between protesters and police in Novi Sad.