A teen injured in the collapse of a roof at a train station in Serbia has died, becoming the 16th victim in the disaster that has pushed the prime minister out of office and sparked massive demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vucic and his government.
The Military Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade said the 18-year-old, one of three people rescued from the rubble, succumbed to injuries they suffered when the canopy of the Novi Sad train station collapsed in November.
"Despite all the treatment measures...the patient succumbed to complex injuries and resulting complications," the hospital said, identifying the victim only by the initials V.C.
Demonstrators have flooded streets across the country to protest against the roof collapse, which they say is tied to government corruption and mismanagement.
The announcement of the 16th victim of the collapse comes as questions linger over how student demonstrators in Belgrade last week were dispersed after a disturbing audio incident disrupted the protest.
Serbian authorities, facing the largest protests in Vucic's 10-year reign, have rejected accusations that an "audio cannon" was used against protesters, saying they're ready to invite the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its Russian equivalent to investigate amid speculation that police might have used either Russian or American-made equipment on the crowd.
However, those at the March 15 protest are demanding an explanation as to what caused mass panic to break out out as a crowd of thousands stood in silence to honor the victims of the Novi Sad railway station disaster.
"Suddenly, a very strange sound erupted—it was unfamiliar to me, and to everyone around. The atmosphere turned ghostly and terrifying," Tatjana Rosic, who was among the demonstrators, told RFE/RL.
"It felt like a stampede of horses was coming toward me. I lost consciousness for a moment."
A coalition of non-governmental organizations said it had received testimony from more than 3,000 people describing the event, with most reporting intense fear, panic, and shock induced by an unknown source.
They added that common symptoms experienced during the incident included rapid heartbeat, trembling, disorientation, and loss of control. Others described headaches, ear pressure, ringing, nausea, vomiting, a sense of intense cranial pressure, and heat spreading through the body.
Serbian police, military, and top government officials have also denied that sonic weapons were used during the protest, with Interior Minister Ivica Dacic saying the country doesn't possess such instruments and even naming specific models manufactured by California-based Genasys, as well as Russian-made devices produced by Russia's state-owned radio-electronic industry firm Ruselectronics.
Two days later, however, photos emerged showing a Serbian police vehicle equipped with a device resembling a Genasys-made LRAD system, while opposition politician Marinika Tepic told a press conference that the Interior Ministry may have bought as many as seven LRAD 450XL devices, which she described as "sound cannons."
The LRAD 450XL was not one of the models mentioned by Dacic, who later confirmed that Serbian police do possess LRAD-450XL and LRAD-100X models, which broadcast powerful warning tones and for public safety, law enforcement, maritime, and defense applications.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic
But Dacic insisted that the devices are used strictly for crowd communication and emergency warnings, not for dispersal or intimidation.
Contacted by RFE/RL, Patrick Wilcken, a researcher at Amnesty International, described LRAD systems as “a long-range acoustic device, essentially an extremely loud speaker that emits sounds over 150 decibels.”
Originally developed around two decades ago for military communication, "its most controversial use [today] is in law enforcement,” Wilcken said.
But manufacturer Genasys has now had its own say on the March 15 incident, and it has not brought any clarity to the discussion.
“The video and audio evidence we have seen and heard so far does not indicate that an LRAD was used during the incident on 15 March in Belgrade,” the company said.