Niš declares day of mourning after fatal Montenegro bus crash
On 12 July 2026 a minibus carrying 17 Serbian tourists from Niš overturned near Lipci, Montenegro, while returning from a pilgrimage to the Ostrog monastery. The crash killed 21‑year‑old J. S. from the Niš area and injured 16 others, including a 63‑year‑old woman D. I., a 10‑year‑old child and several others with serious injuries.
The Niš City Council voted to declare 15 July a Day of Mourning. Flags will be lowered to half‑mast, and all musical and entertainment programmes will be suspended. The municipality, together with the University Clinical Centre of Niš, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Serbian Embassy in Montenegro, mobilised all available resources – a government aircraft, a medical helicopter and ambulance services – to transport the injured back to Serbia.
Neighbourhood residents organised a private ambulance to bring D. I. home, covering the cost themselves after official assistance was delayed. Some victims have already returned to Niš, while others remain in hospitals in Montenegro awaiting further treatment. Police investigations suggest driver fatigue as a possible cause, and the driver has been proposed for detention.