Brandizzo massacre: preliminary hearing begins for the train accident that cost the lives of five workers

The preliminary hearing for the Brandizzo massacre opens today at the Ivrea court, the train accident that occurred on the night between 30 and 31 August 2023 in which five workers from the Sigifer company lost their lives: Kevin Laganà, Michael Zanera, Giuseppe Sorvillo, Giuseppe Aversa and Giuseppe Saverio Lombardo. More than three years after that tragic night, the judicial proceedings come to a head to ascertain responsibilities and shed light on a work system marked, according to the investigators, by very serious safety deficiencies and dangerous company practices.

A total of 24 people are under investigation, including individuals and companies involved. In addition to the two main survivors and suspects - Antonio Massa, RFI's escort leader, and Andrea Girardin Gibin, Sigifer's team leader - the investigation conducted by the Ivrea prosecutor's office led by Gabriella Viglione with the deputy prosecutors Valentina Bossi and Giulia Nicodemi called into question the top management of the companies. Among the prominent names are the former CEO of RFI and current CEO of the FS Group Gianpiero Strisciuglio and his predecessor at the helm of RFI Vera Fiorani. The companies RFI, Sigifer and CLF are also under accusation. The initially hypothesized crimes of voluntary manslaughter with possible malice were redefined as multiple manslaughter and negligent train disaster.

In the investigation documents there is various documentary evidence: a video and audio recordings of the conversations that took place in the railway traffic operations room between Antonio Massa and the RFI movement leader Vincenza Repaci. The images contradict the versions provided at the time by the survivors. In the video, Massa is seen on the phone with the operations room to agree on the interruption of the line, while the five workers are already working on the tracks in advance. Massa is perfectly aware of their presence, according to the prosecution, but does nothing to stop them.

The dialogues recorded between 11.27pm and 11.48pm reveal total confusion and a tragic overlap in times. According to what emerged, Massa confused a train in transit with the last scheduled convoy, dictating the official request to interrupt circulation ("From 00.01 to 1.30") just one minute before the passage of the convoy launched at breakneck speed which overwhelmed and killed the workers. In the moments following the massacre, Massa's desperate screams on the phone to the operations room reveal the gravity of what happened, with the operator replying in disbelief: "It wasn't the last train... you didn't even have the interruption yet."

An alarming picture also emerges from the testimonies collected by the investigators: getting onto the tracks before the technical interruption would not have been an exception, but a consolidated "practice". A former Sigifer worker confirmed that workers were sent onto the tracks at night, with trains still in transit, to carry out preparations and gain precious time, thus preventing the company from suffering huge penalties for delays. The ruthless logic of subcontracting at maximum discount, according to the prosecutor's office, would therefore have sacrificed the safety of workers on the altar of speed and profit.

The investigations also revealed disturbing scenarios regarding working conditions: safety courses never actually carried out and employees forced to sign certificates of fitness, or unable to resign without suffering financial retaliation.