Families of the 43 victims of the Genoa bridge disaster are awaiting a verdict, seeking clarity and accountability years after a significant section of the Morandi motorway bridge collapsed in August 2018.
Egle Possetti, representing the victims' families committee, expressed the hope that responsibility will be clearly established. "For so many years, lawyers told us that what happened was no-one's fault, that it was just an accident," Possetti stated. "But this decision could be symbolically so important. Finding who is responsible could give us some sort of peace and a sense of justice."
The collapse saw a large section of the bridge fall onto railway tracks below, killing 43 people.
In a statement released on the eve of the verdict, Autostrade per l'Italia, the bridge's former operator, issued its first apology for the disaster. The company's chief executive, Arrigo Giana, wrote in an open letter published in two Italian newspapers that he had long questioned why the company had not apologized sooner, calling the lack of apology a "further, incomprehensible wound" for the grieving community.
Giana, who assumed his role last year, noted that the current company operates under different ownership and management. He emphasized that making amends now, while unable to erase the pain of the families, is a moral imperative.
Autostrade per l'Italia (Aspi) and its subsidiary Spea, which was responsible for inspections, are no longer defendants in the criminal case. They reached a settlement to pay approximately €30 million (about £25 million) in damages.
The remains of the old viaduct were demolished in early 2019 through controlled explosions. A new viaduct, named the Genoa San Giorgio Bridge and designed by architect Renzo Piano, was completed and opened in August 2020, approximately 18 months after the demolition. The new bridge features sail-like white pillars intended to symbolize Genoa's maritime heritage.
The victims' families committee is scheduled to hold a press conference in Genoa following the delivery of the verdict.