By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbian Foreign Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic resigned Wednesday after 15 people were killed earlier this month when a concrete awning at a railway station collapsed.
"I would like to inform you that I am resigning from the position of Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade. I am grateful to the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, for his trust and decoration. For him and for Serbia, I am always here," Momirovic wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Milos Vucevic.
Momirovic served as minister of construction, transport, and infrastructure in the government of Ana Brnabic from 2020 to 2022, after which he was elected minister of internal and foreign trade for two terms.
Construction Minister Goran Vesic resigned Nov. 5 because of public pressure after the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station entrance.
President Aleksandar Vucic said late Tuesday that new resignations are expected "as early as tomorrow" concerning the railway station accident.
The opposition in Serbia, meanwhile, continues to criticize the government and its reaction to the accident.
An opposition group consisting of MPs, Novi Sad Municipal Council members and residents tried to block the entrances to the Novi Sad Courthouse building on Tuesday and Wednesday where the prosecutor's office and courtrooms are located.
Demonstrators are demanding that those responsible for the accident be brought to justice. They also want the release of politicians and activists who were imprisoned during and after a protest about the collapse at the station.
Gendarmerie teams comforted some MPs who had scuffled with police and broke a cordon and entered the building.
It was reported that one MP became ill after the scuffle.
The group also closed the entrances to the Palace of Justice on Tuesday but dispersed after police intervention.
Protests, which the opposition supports, continue to be held at regular intervals in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
More demonstration are scheduled for Thursday.
At least 15 people were killed and two injured in the collapse on Nov. 1.
Police have questioned at least 40 people in relation to the incident after suspicions of negligence were raised about repair work at the station in 2021.