Brawl erupts in Serbian parliament

Deputies pulled and hit one another in the Serbian parliament hall this evening, as tensions rose between the ruling coalition and the opposition over a train station roof collapse that killed 15 people earlier this month.

Radomir Lazovic of the opposition Green-Left Front party in the middle of the session stood up to put a picture of a red hand with a sign 'you have blood on your hands' at the chair speaker's platform suggesting that the ruling coalition is to be blamed for the train station disaster.

Health minister, Zatibor Loncar, approached him and started arguing. Other deputies rushed in front of the chair speaker's platform shouting, pulling and hitting one another.

The parliament was due to debate the 2025 budget, but the opposition demanded to have a debate about the disaster that happened at the recently renovated train station in Novi Sad on 1 November, killing 15 people and sparked a wave of protests.

Twelve people including a former minister were arrested over the disaster last week.

The opposition accuses authorities of corruption and demands the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. The ruling coalition denies allegations and accuses the opposition of triggering violence.