Genoa shows solidarity with Baltimore over bridge collapse

(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 26 - Genoa city council on Tuesday expressed "its deepest solidarity" with the victims of Monday's Baltimore Bridge collapse, also in light of the collapse of the Morandi road bridge in the Ligurian regional capital in August 2018 in which 43 people died.
    "This event is a cause of great pain and dismay for all of us," said the majority and minority group leaders in a statement.
    "It is impossible not to evoke the memory of the Morandi Bridge tragedy that struck our city and our fellow citizens.
    "We share the pain and suffering of the Baltimore community, with which Genoa has been twinned since 1985, knowing how difficult it is to deal with a tragedy of this magnitude," continued the statement.
    Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed late on Monday night after being hit by a cargo ship that was reportedly out of control.
    Two people survived the accident and 20 including workmen carrying out road repairs on the bridge and people in vehicles are said to be missing.
    The Morandi bridge over the Polcevera river in Genoa collapsed on August 14, 2018 amid claims it had been unsafe.
    In total, 59 people have been put on trial in relation to the disaster, including the former heads and technical officials of highways company Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI) and its maintenance arm SPEA, former and current transport ministry managers and other civil servants.
    The charges range from culpable failure to comply with one's duty for workplace safety to multiple culpable homicide.
    The prosecution says that many of the defendants knew that the motorway viaduct could collapse but did nothing to prevent this from happening.
    ASPI and SPEA are no longer involved in the criminal trial after a plea bargain to pay damages of around 30 million euros.
    The remains of the Morandi bridge were demolished and another viaduct designed by Genoese archistar Renzo Piano opened in August 2020 to take its place. (ANSA).