This New Year’s Eve party was cancelled! Just after midnight, the high-altitude Freestyler nightclub in the Serbian capital Belgrade began to sink into the Sava River. Right in the middle: Zurich KV Foundation Ana T.* (18) with her partner and friends. “Panic immediately broke out, luckily no one was seriously injured,” says the young woman on the phone the day after Blick.
At the time of the accident, about ten minutes after New Year’s Eve, the club was full. “There were a lot of Swiss and Swiss-Serbs here,” says Ana T. The atmosphere was good until suddenly a shock went through the bar. “I didn’t understand what was going on. Someone yelled knife, knife and everyone rushed to the exit. The employees of the club were the first to disappear,” says T.
“This is how it must have felt on the Titanic”
When she noticed that her feet were in the water and the slope of the ground was increasing, it dawned on her that an attack with a knife was not the cause of the panic. But that the place is going down! “Everyone was just looking for themselves and pushing with all their might towards the exit. I was really scared for my life and lost my friends quickly. This is how it must have felt on the Titanic!” says the Swiss.
Only on the bank does it become clear what exactly happened: the rear part of the Stelzen restaurant collapsed and sank into the river. Only the entrance area, which is connected to the bank via a footbridge, still protrudes above the water, as can be seen in the photos.
Were there too many people in the restaurant?
According to Serbian media reports, there were some minor injuries – luckily everyone in the Zurich women’s group was unharmed. But: the party is over after the incident. “It was freezing outside, we stood there without coats and freezing.”
There is no official information about the cause of the accident. Local media quote police sources as saying the Floss Club was overstretched. According to the Swiss group, it was rumored that the incident could be related to a fire that allegedly occurred a few days before the accident. (bag)
*Name changed