Who is responsible for the collapse of the bridge in the Italian port city more than three years ago? A court should now clarify that.
Genoa – More than three years after the bridge collapse of Genoa with 43 dead, those responsible are for the first time on trial. The first preliminary negotiation took place on Friday in the Italian port city.
59 people and two companies are charged – among other things for multiple negligent homicide, violation of road safety, false statements and omission of official acts. In this extensive case, the court has scheduled three hearing days per week until the end of December.
On August 14, 2018, one of the three pylons of the Polcevera Viaduct, also known as the Morandi Bridge, collapsed during a storm and tore part of the roadway with it. 43 people died. The motorway bridge was an important section of the A10 from northern Italy to the French border. The accused managers and engineers are accused, among other things, of having ignored defects in the structure and warning signals. At the beginning of August 2020, a new building called the San Giorgio Bridge was inaugurated.
According to the Ansa news agency, 300 co-plaintiffs, including the relatives of the victims and also the city of Genoa, the Liguria region and ministries in Rome, want to join the process. In the next few weeks, the preliminary judge Paola Faggioni will have to decide who will be admitted. Some surviving dependents have already reached an out-of-court settlement with the motorway company. In addition, Faggioni will decide which of the defendants will answer in the main proceedings.
Some defense attorneys filed a motion with the next higher instance on Friday to replace the judge because she was biased. Faggioni himself had ordered the pre-trial detention against six suspects during the investigation phase. dpa
