The trial of the officials blamed for the fatal August 2018 collapse of a motorway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa was adjourned on Thursday after the court set dates for the proceedings and heard fresh applications.
A total of 59 people are being charged over the disaster, which claimed 43 lives in 2018. The prosecution will hear more than 170 witnesses. More than 300 civilian plaintiffs have already joined the lawsuit.
Egle Possetti, a spokesperson for the victims' association, said the association was among those submitting a new application as a plaintiff. Proceedings were to resume on September 12, she said.
"This is the last hope for justice that we still have," one of the relatives of the victims told Italian television.
Three halls were prepared for the first day of the trial, one of which was a tent.
"After almost four years we have high expectations," Possetti said.
"We expect this trial to bring justice, to provide clarity regarding the reasons and responsibility that led to the deaths of our loved ones, because otherwise their deaths will have been in vain, and they will not be able to rest in peace," she added.
She added that it was necessary for those responsible to be brought to justice for the victims to be able to "rest in peace."
Observers expect that the first verdicts may only be reached in two years. Among the defendants are experts and former executives of the company responsible for the maintenance of the bridge, as well as former members of the Infrastructure Ministry and other authorities.
"I believe that everyone wants to know the truth," Giovanni Accinni, a lawyer representing one of the accused former officials, said.
His colleague, Guido Carlo Alleva, added: "Today we are starting to talk about the facts." He contrasted this with what he termed a "media-oriented, falsified and twisted process" that followed the collapse.
Alleva pointed to an experts' report indicating that the bridge had construction defects.
The former officials are being charged with manslaughter, abuse of office, and dereliction of duty.
Two other companies, a maintenance firm and the highway operator, have already settled outside of court for around €30 million ($30.6 million).
After the collapse hundreds of people who lived below the bridge became homeless. The reason for the disaster is presumed to be damage that was not spotted due to a lack of proper maintenance.
A new bridge has been built over the Polcevera river, which was inaugurated as the Ponte San Giorgio (St George Bridge) in August 2020.
