Exactly one month ago, on February 12 at around 12 p.m., a horrific tram accident occurred in Sarajevo in which 23-year-old Erdoan Morankić was killed.
The tragedy that shook the public triggered mass protests, led to the fall of the Sarajevo Canton Government, and raised questions about the safety of public transportation.
Unfortunately, even a month later, there are still no final answers about the cause of the accident or responsibility.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Sarajevo Canton has emphasized for a month that this case is a priority in their work, but the public does not share that impression, especially after the fiasco at the hearing on the request for detention, the failure to question the director of GRAS in the first days after the accident, and the slow process of obtaining surveillance footage from the U.S. Embassy.
The accident on February 12 occurred when a tram derailed at Marijin Dvor, near the National Museum. In the accident, 23-year-old student Erdoan Morankić lost his life, while several people were injured, including 17-year-old Ella Jovanović, who lost her leg.
Already on the first day after the accident, spontaneous gatherings of citizens and students began as they demanded accountability from the relevant institutions and safer public transportation. The protests soon turned into mass gatherings during which demonstrators blocked several roads in the center of Sarajevo and demanded the resignation of political and managerial structures within the public transport system.
The key demands of the protesters included an independent and transparent investigation into the accident, the publication of information about the technical condition of the tram, and the withdrawal of the oldest vehicles from service.
Political consequences followed quickly. Only a few days after the accident, the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, Nihad Uk, resigned, which led to the fall of the Sarajevo Canton Government. In the following days, the director of GRAS, Senad Mujagić, also resigned, but his resignation was not accepted by the Supervisory Board of the public company.
Nevertheless, the issue of public transport safety became a central political topic in Sarajevo.
The investigation into the accident, however, has still not provided key answers even a month later. The tram driver was investigated on suspicion of endangering public safety, but the court did not order detention as requested by the Prosecutor’s Office of Sarajevo Canton.
During the past weeks, different information has emerged regarding the possible causes of the accident. The cause could be human error, technical problems with the tram, or issues related to the infrastructure.
Additional controversy was caused by information suggesting that surveillance footage from the tram itself does not exist, which raised further suspicions and additional demands for transparency in the investigation.
Protests by citizens and students continued throughout February and at the beginning of March, although with lower intensity than in the first days following the tragedy. The organizers stated that they would not give up until full responsibility for the accident is determined.
A month after the tragedy, Sarajevo still does not have a clear answer to the key question – whether the accident occurred due to human error, a technical malfunction, or a combination of several factors, and who will bear responsibility for the death of the young student and the severe injuries suffered by Ella Jovanović, Klix.ba writes.
