A court in Genoa has sentenced the former head of Italy's motorway operator, Autostrade per l'Italia, to 12 years in prison for his role in the 2018 collapse of the Morandi bridge, an incident that claimed the lives of 43 people.
Giovanni Castellucci, the former chief executive, was one of 57 defendants on trial. Prosecutors had sought a significantly longer sentence for Castellucci, who is already serving a six-year term for a separate 2013 road disaster. Another high-ranking Autostrade official, Michele Donferri Mitelli, received an 11-year sentence.
The Morandi bridge, a vital artery running through Genoa, collapsed during a heavy rainstorm on August 15, 2018, sending vehicles and debris plummeting to the ground below. The disaster occurred during the peak of Italy's summer holiday season.
Relatives of the victims expressed a sense of closure following the verdict. Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother was among those killed, told Italian television he was "very satisfied." Egle Possetti, who lost her sister and her family in the collapse, deemed Castellucci's 12-year sentence "acceptable."