SICILY:(Chief Ikramuddin) According to UG News Media Europe Report,The trial of 59 people facing an array of charges over the deadly collapse of a motorway bridge in the Italian port city of Genoa opened on Thursday in front of relatives of the victims, but then adjourned for the summer.The judge said proceedings would resume on September 12 and scheduled hearings up to July 2023. Given the complexity of the case, sessions are likely to continue beyond that date.The Morandi bridge, operated by Atlantia’s motorway unit Autostrade per l’Italia, collapsed at the peak of the summer holiday season on August 14, 2018, killing 43 people and laying bare the state of Italy’s crumbling infrastructure.The defendants face charges ranging from multiple manslaughter to making false statements. Among those in the dock are former Atlantia CEO Giovanni Castellucci, who is accused of endangering safety on the roads and wilful failure to take precautions to prevent disasters. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail if convicted.The trial is taking place in the largest hall in the Genoa court, while a marquee with video screens has been set up outside to accommodate hundreds more members of the public and journalists who want to attend.In a document seen by Reuters on the findings of the investigation into the disaster, prosecutors said last year that the collapse was triggered by the rupture of the load-bearing cables inside the stay of the bridge’s ninth pillar, which were eaten away by a highly corrosive atmosphere over the 51 years of the bridge’s life.
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