A Genoa court has sentenced the former head of Italy's motorway operator to 12 years in prison for the collapse of the Morandi bridge in August 2018. Judge Paolo Lepri read out the verdict, which fell short of the longer term prosecutors had sought for ex-Autostrade per l'Italia chief Giovanni Castellucci.

The disaster claimed 43 lives when the motorway bridge running through the city gave way during a rainstorm at the height of the holiday season, sending cars and lorries plunging to the ground. Castellucci, already serving a six-year sentence for a 2013 road accident, was one of 57 defendants on trial in Genoa.

Another senior motorway official, Michele Donferri Mitelli, received an 11-year prison term. Relatives of the victims expressed mixed reactions: Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother Henry died, told Italian TV he was "very satisfied" with the verdict, while Egle Possetti, who lost her sister and her family, called the 12-year sentence "acceptable."

This is a breaking news story, and more details will be published shortly.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk