A court in the Italian city of Genoa has delivered its first verdict in the criminal trial over the 2018 collapse of the Morandi Bridge, one of Italy's worst infrastructure disasters that claimed 43 lives.
The bridge collapsed on August 14, 2018, during heavy rainfall, sending dozens of vehicles plunging nearly 45 metres to the ground. The tragedy sparked nationwide outrage and raised serious concerns about the safety of Italy's ageing infrastructure.
A total of 59 defendants, including former executives of motorway operator Autostrade per l'Italia, engineers, maintenance officials and public servants, faced charges ranging from multiple manslaughter to undermining transport safety and making false statements. All denied wrongdoing.
Prosecutors argued that years of neglected maintenance, ignored safety warnings and efforts to delay costly repairs contributed to the collapse. Defence lawyers maintained that the disaster resulted from an undetectable design flaw in one of the bridge's support cables.
The Morandi Bridge, inaugurated in 1967, had long been the subject of warnings from engineers about structural deterioration and increasing traffic loads. Despite repeated concerns, major repairs were never completed before the collapse.
Families of the victims welcomed the verdict as an important step toward justice after nearly eight years of legal proceedings. They also called for stronger safety measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The collapsed bridge was demolished and replaced by the modern San Giorgio Bridge, which opened in August 2020. The new structure features advanced monitoring technology designed to detect structural problems and reduce the risk of corrosion.
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