A section of road and a retaining wall near the under-construction Center of Excellence in Kragujevac collapsed on Thursday, authorities said, attributing the incident to heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions.
The city administration said the collapse occurred near a residential construction site, which had been closed last week by inspectors as a precaution to protect public safety and nearby properties. The investor, RP Invest 1980 d.o.o., immediately halted all work in compliance with the inspection order.
“The city will make every effort to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” the administration said. The next step involves directives from the construction inspectorate requiring the developer to stabilize the site and prevent further landslides.
The opposition sharply criticized the city’s handling of urban development. Obrad Turković, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) local chapter, said the collapse highlighted “a deep crisis in city management and an unsustainable model of investment-driven urban planning.”
The National Movement of Serbia (NPS) said the incident reflected broader governance failures, noting that the €23 million Center of Excellence project, funded partly by the European Investment Bank, has been under construction since 2016 and remains unfinished.
RP Invest stated that rainfall and snow increased soil moisture, destabilizing the ground beneath the road and retaining wall, but added that the situation is under control and repair work will begin promptly.
Mayor Nikola Dašić told the city assembly that inspectors are investigating the cause of the collapse and that responsibility will be determined once technical evaluations are complete. Social media videos of the incident circulated widely, raising concerns among local residents.
Other opposition parties also called for accountability. The Serbia Center Party (SRCE) described the incident as evidence of “incompetence, negligence, and corruption” by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), urging authorities to clarify the actions taken and hold those responsible to account.
The Center of Excellence, a scientific complex of the University of Kragujevac, was initially slated for completion in 2017, but the original contractor went bankrupt, delaying the project.