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Morandi Bridge Collapse: CEO Gets 12 Years, €30 M Paid

7/19/2026

45 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The court issued the first criminal convictions tied to Italy’s deadliest bridge disaster.
Former Autostrade per l'Italia CEO Giovanni Castellucci received a 12-year prison term for the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse.
Autostrade maintenance head Michele Donferri Mitelli received an 11-year prison term.
SPEA engineers were sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Autostrade and SPEA agreed to pay roughly €30 million in state damages.

History

Historical Context

On July 17 1981, the Hyatt Regency’s Kansas City atrium walkways collapsed, killing 114 and injuring over 200 after a design change doubled the load on the support rods. The tragedy, occurring amid a wave of fast-tracked 1970s projects such as the 1979 Kemper Arena roof failure, spurred new engineering-ethics standards and later informed the 2018 Morandi bridge trial in Italy.

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Story summary

The court issued the first criminal convictions tied to Italy’s deadliest bridge disaster.
Former Autostrade per l'Italia CEO Giovanni Castellucci received a 12-year prison term for the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse.
Autostrade maintenance head Michele Donferri Mitelli received an 11-year prison term.
SPEA engineers were sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Autostrade and SPEA agreed to pay roughly €30 million in state damages.

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