Genoa bridge disaster responsibility to be found-Mattarella

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 14 - The responsibility for the August 14 2018 Genoa bridge collapse that killed 43 people must be "definitively established", President Sergio Mattarella said on the sixth anniversary of a disaster for which consultants for Autostrade per L'Italia (ASPI) motorway company and its SPEA maintenance and road safety arm are still being tried.
    A 'maxi-trial' over the disaster is scheduled to resume on 11 September, with the conclusion of the cross-examinations of the consultants for ASPI and SPEA.
    Mattarella said: "On the bridge (collapse), responsibility must be definitively ascertained.
    "The reconstruction of the road link does not constitute an extenuating circumstance".
    Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli said the tragedy "It is a tear in everyone's heart and an immense pain for our country".
    Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa said it is "a wound that is still open, but also an example of resilience" .
    The anniversary of the collapse of the viaduct over the Polcevera river on August 14, 2018, was marked with a memorial ceremony attended by local and national institutional representatives and religious leaders, including Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini.
    Salvini said on Instagram that Italy could "be reborn in the name of yes" referring to the record-fast construction of a replacement bridge in Genoa and to his own plans to build the world's longest suspension bridge over the Messina Strait to link Sicily and the Italian mainland.
    In total, 59 people have been put on trial in relation to the bridge collapse, including the former heads and technical officials of ASPI and SPEA, former and current transport ministry managers and other civil servants.
    The charges range from culpable failure to comply with one's duty for workplace safety to multiple culpable homicide.
    The prosecution says that many of the defendants knew that the motorway viaduct could collapse but did nothing to prevent this from happening.
    ASPI and SPEA themselves are no longer involved in the criminal trial after a plea bargain to pay damages of around 30 million euros.
    The remains of the Morandi bridge were demolished and another viaduct designed by starchitect Renzo Piano opened in August 2020 to take its place.
    Piano, a Genoa native, created the design for the new bridge for free as a gift to the city.
    The audacious new structure has been named the Genoa San Giorgio Bridge.
    It features sail-like structures, to reflect the northwestern port city's rich maritime heritage.
    The disaster also led to a deal whereby the Benetton group will gradually exit Italian motorway management. (ANSA).