In brief
After four years of investigation and a seven‑year trial, the former head of Italy’s motorway operator was jailed for 12 years over the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi bridge, which killed 43 people. Other senior officials received 5‑to‑11‑year sentences, while some were acquitted or still under appeals. The verdict marks the first formal accountability for the tragedy, offering a measure of closure to bereaved families but signalling that legal battles continue.
Italian officials have received prison sentences over the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse that claimed 43 lives.
The former chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia, Giovanni Castellucci, was sentenced to 12 years in prison – a term far shorter than prosecutors had sought.
Castellucci had already served a six‑year sentence for a 2013 road disaster. He was one of 57 defendants tried in Genoa, with other motorway officials receiving 5‑ to 11‑year sentences and several officers handed sentences under two years. Twenty‑five defendants were acquitted or cleared due to statutory limits.
Prosecutors had requested a cumulative 400 years of imprisonment for all defendants, citing repeated maintenance delays and ignored warning signs. Defence argued design flaws and a concrete‑encased cable contributed to the disaster.
The first‑stage verdict was welcomed by families, with victims’ relatives expressing relief that official responsibility had been established. Mayor Silvia Salis remarked it was a step toward truth for those who have waited since the tragedy’s day in August 2018.
The remains of the old bridge were demolished in 2019, replaced by the new San Giorgio viaduct, designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated a year later.
