The Morandi motorway bridge collapsed in 2018, throwing dozens of vehicles and their passengers into the void and killing 43 people.
By VD with AFP
© Jean François Ottonello / MAXPPP / PHOTOPQR/NICE MATIN/MAXPPP
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Un former managing director of the Benetton family’s holding company, Edizione, admitted on Monday that as early as 2010, eight years before the deadly collapse of the Genoa bridge, the group knew that there was a risk of falling, without drawing any conclusions. consequences. “It turned out that the bridge had an original design flaw, causing the technicians to be puzzled as to its ability to stay upright,” admitted Gianni Mion, heard as a witness during the trial on this drama which is taking place in the court of Genoa, in northern Italy.
“I asked if there was anyone to certify safety and was told ‘we will certify it ourselves,'” Mion said, referring to a meeting of Autostrade per l company executives. ‘Italia (Aspi), then owned by the Benettons. “However, no one thought the bridge was going to collapse and we were reassured. I didn’t say anything, but I was worried. I didn’t do anything and that’s my big regret,” said Mion, quoted by the Italian agencies.
Forty-three dead
On August 14, 2018, in the pouring rain, the Morandi motorway bridge, an essential axis for local journeys and traffic between Italy and France, collapsed, throwing dozens of vehicles and their passengers into the void and causing 43 deaths. Mr. Mion’s testimony aroused the indignation of Egle Possetti, the president of the Committee of relatives of the victims. “A person with his role could not be silent, it is unacceptable,” she commented.
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“We just hope that someone will pay and lead by example so that there are no more situations like this in Italy,” she added. “The risk coefficients attributed to certain structures were significantly lower than the actual state of the infrastructure itself”, recognized for his part another witness, Roberto Tomasi, general manager of Autostrade since 2019 and executive of the company. since 2015.
Referring to the role of the engineering company Spea, responsible for maintenance, he assured that “the behavior of some of its employees was unacceptable. We did not find it reliable,” he said. If many former leaders find themselves on the dock, the Autostrade and Spea companies escaped the trial thanks to an amicable agreement concluded with the prosecution, providing for the payment of 29 million euros to the State.