Parts of collapsed Italian bridge lacked maintenance for 25 yrs - prosecutor

A technical report showed some parts of a bridge that collapsed last year in northern Italy had lacked maintenance for 25 years, a local prosecutor said on Wednesday. On Aug. 14 last year, a large section of the 1.2 km-long (1,100-yard) bridge in the city of Genoa collapsed in heavy rain, killing 43 people.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but the ruling 5-Star Movement blamed Italy's biggest toll-road operator, infrastructure group Atlantia, for neglecting maintenance on the bridge. Atlantia has denied any wrongdoing. "The investigation will tell whether (the lack of maintenance) was instrumental in causing the collapse," Genoa top prosecutor Francesco Cozzi told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday, following a memorial ceremony for the victims earlier that day.

Shares in Atlantia fell 4% on Wednesday after the prosecutor's comment.

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