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32 Sentenced Up to 12 Years for Morandi Bridge Collapse

7/17/2026

44 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A court sentenced 32 of 57 defendants in the 2018 Morandi bridge disaster to prison terms up to 12 years.
Prosecutors said neglected maintenance and profit-driven decisions caused the collapse, while defense lawyers blamed a defect in cable No. 9 and said no maintenance could have prevented it.
Giovanni Paolo Accinni called verdict unjust and vowed to appeal, while Marco Castellucci, with a six-year term for a 2013 viaduct fatality, was absent.

History

Historical Context

The August 1 2007 collapse of Minneapolis’s I-35W Mississippi River bridge, caused by a thin gusset-plate flaw, killed 13 people and prompted MnDOT and Governor Tim Pawlenty to fast-track a new ten-lane bridge with federal funding. That tragedy set a U.S. precedent for accountability, a model echoed in Italy’s recent Genoa court sentencing of Morandi bridge defendants.

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Story summary

A court sentenced 32 of 57 defendants in the 2018 Morandi bridge disaster to prison terms up to 12 years.
Prosecutors said neglected maintenance and profit-driven decisions caused the collapse, while defense lawyers blamed a defect in cable No. 9 and said no maintenance could have prevented it.
Giovanni Paolo Accinni called verdict unjust and vowed to appeal, while Marco Castellucci, with a six-year term for a 2013 viaduct fatality, was absent.

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