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An Italian court has delivered a verdict in the deadly 2018 Genoa bridge collapse, sentencing 32 defendants, including former Autostrade CEO Giovanni Castellucci, for their responsibility in the disaster that claimed 43 lives. Castellucci was found guilty of vehicular homicide and negligence, receiving a 12-year prison sentence for his role in the collapse of the Morandi Bridge, a critical piece of infrastructure connecting France and Italy.

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Today we can say there are those guilty of the murder of our relatives.

The courtroom was filled with relatives of the victims who perished when the bridge gave way during torrential rain on August 14, 2018. Prosecutors argued that Castellucci was accused of postponing essential maintenance work. This sentence comes as Castellucci is already serving time for his involvement in a separate 2013 accident where a bus fell from a viaduct, killing 40 people.

Families of the victims expressed a sense of closure, with Michele Matti Altadonna, whose brother died in the collapse, stating, "Today we can say there are those guilty of the murder of our relatives." While legal teams for some defendants, including Castellucci, announced their intention to appeal, Altadonna affirmed the families' resolve: "for the four children my brother left behind... we will not give up, we will not give up until the Supreme Court."

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for the four children my brother left behind... we will not give up, we will not give up until the Supreme Court.

An investigation revealed a stark lack of maintenance, noting that "between the inauguration in 1967 and the collapse, i.e. 51 years later, not even minimal maintenance work was carried out to reinforce the stays of pillar number nine." This pillar was identified as the one that ultimately failed. Raffaele Caruso, a lawyer for the victims, asserted that the collapse was preventable, stating, "This collapse, as we have always said and as the prosecutor's office, above all, has always said, could have been avoided."

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Between the inauguration in 1967 and the collapse, i.e. 51 years later, not even minimal maintenance work was carried out to reinforce the stays of pillar number nine.

Most of the convicted individuals were executives and technicians from Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI), the company managing nearly half of Italy's motorways, and its maintenance contractor Spea. Other high-ranking officials from ASPI and the infrastructure ministry also received sentences. Italy's deputy transport secretary, Edoardo Rixi, called the ruling an "important step on the path of truth and justice," emphasizing that the collapse was not an act of fate but a consequence of severe errors and omissions by those responsible for safety.

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This collapse, as we have always said and as the prosecutor's office, above all, has always said, could have been avoided.