Tens of thousands of people from all over Serbia gathered on Saturday in the northern town of Novi Sad to commemorate the victims of a railway station disaster a year ago.

The rally was also a massive display of boiling discontent with the government of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic.

The collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad train station last Nov. 1 killed 16 people.

The tragedy triggered youth-led street protests and a nationwide movement demanding political changes that have seriously shaken Vucic's tight hold on power.

The protesters believe that the concrete construction at the renovated station building in Novi Sad collapsed because rampant corruption and nepotism in state infrastructure projects with China led to fatal disregard of safety rules.

No one has been held responsible though 13 people have been charged.

Saturday’s ceremonies first started with 16 minutes of silence for the 16 victims at exactly 11:52 a.m., the time of the collapse.

People also laid wreaths and lit candles outside the station.

Vucic has cracked down on the protesters in recent months, with police detaining hundreds of people and using tear gas and batons to disperse rallies.

The huge turnout on Saturday suggested that protesters' resolve remains strong.

On the eve of the commemoration, Vucic apologized to the student protesters after previously threatening mass arrests and routinely branding them as “terrorists” instructed from the West to topple him and destroy Serbia.

Student protesters dismissed the apology.

They are demanding an early parliamentary election that they hope would oust the populist government.

While Vucic toned down his rhetoric, authorities canceled train service to Novi Sad, preventing some protesters from travel.

Others streamed into Novi Sad in cars, on bikes or on foot.

Vucic on Saturday attended a church service in Belgrade for the victims while Serbia’s government hastily declared a day of mourning.

AP video by: Eldar Emric