A trial has opened in the Italian city of Genoa over the collapse of the Morandi Bridge. A total of 59 people are facing charges over the collapse, which killed 43 people on August 14th, 2018.

As reported by Reuters, the defendants are facing a range of charges from manslaughter to making false statements, all of which they deny. Giovanni Castellucci, CEO of the parent company of the motorway’s operator, faces 15 years in jail if found guilty of his charges, which include endangering safety on the roads and a willful failure to take precautions to prevent disasters.  

Prosecutors may call up to 178 witnesses throughout the trial, which is expected to last months. One prosecutor expressed fears that if the trial extends too far into the future, the final verdict may not be delivered before the statute of limitations kicks in, thus ending legal proceedings. 

In papers filed last year, prosecutors said that the collapse was triggered by the rupture of load-bearing cables inside one of the bridge’s pillars, which were weakened after five decades of corrosion. The papers also claimed that the bridge operators did not carry out proper checks on the bridge, and did not resolve issues that emerged shortly after the bridge’s opening.

Following the fatal collapse in August 2018, famous Genoese architect Renzo Piano offered to design a replacement for the bridge. The remainder of the bridge was demolished in June 2019 to make way for Piano’s replacement, which was opened in August 2020 following 15 months of construction.

Separately, it has been revealed that a documentary about the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida is being produced. The Miami Herald will partner with 101 Studios and Grain Media on the documentary about the collapse, which left 98 people dead on June 24th, 2021.