FILE - A view of the new bridge being inaugurated in Genoa, Italy, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. On Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, Italy marked the fifth anniversary of the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge with a minute of silence and demands for justice for the 43 people killed in what authorities say was an example of greed-fueled negligence.
Prosecutors allege the defendants knew the bridge, which was built in the 1960s, was at risk of collapsing and that corners were cut on maintenance to save money. The bridge’s designer had recommended regular upkeep on the cement span to remove rust, especially due to the corrosive effect of moist salty air from the nearby Ligurian Sea.
He added that by next year’s commemorations he hoped that Parliament would approve a law, proposed in the aftermath of the collapse, that considers victims of such negligence in public works equivalent to victims of terrorism or organized crime, in terms of their eligibility to recover financial compensation.
She cited testimony of executives and technical experts denying any responsibility, claiming not to know or remember details, and evidence of a transport ministry that blindly, “nearly kneeling,” accepted the word of a maintenance company that it was meant to regulate.