Rome, Europe Brief News – Fifty-nine people face a variety of charges including manslaughter and safety failures over Genoa bridge deadly incident.
The Morandi bridge, part of a key highway between Italy and France, gave way in torrential rain on August 14 four years ago, sending dozens of vehicles tumbling into the abyss and killing 43 people.
The tragedy shone a spotlight on the state of Italy’s transport infrastructure. A
Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), which runs almost half of the country’s motorway network, is accused of failing to maintain the bridge that was inaugurated in 1967.
Families of those who died say they are not just hoping for justice.
“A different Italy can come out of this trial,” said Egle Possetti, head of the committee for victims of the disaster.
“It’s the tip of an iceberg because it’s not just the Morandi bridge that had problems but the country’s entire infrastructure that has to be controlled in a proper manner,” she told Ansa news agency.
The bridge, on the A10 motorway through Genoa, linked northern Italy to France. A 200m (656ft) section came down during a storm and torrential rain on 14 August 2018 sending dozens of vehicles plunging 45m to the dry riverbed below.
