A conviction has been requested for four mayors in the trial underway before the Court of Castrovillari (president Annamaria Grimaldi) regarding the flooding in the gorges of the Raganello stream which on 20 August 2018, in Civita, in the province of Cosenza, caused the death of ten people, nine hikers and a guide, and 11 injuries. The highest sentence, nine years, was requested by the public prosecutor, Veronica Rizzano, for the mayor of Civita, Alessandro Tocci, still in office, accused of multiple manslaughter and failure to perform official duties. Another mayor still in office for whom the public prosecution has requested a one-year sentence is that of San Lorenzo Bellizzi, Antonio Cersosimo, accused of omission of official acts. The same crime is accused of the former first citizens of Francavilla Marittima and Cerchiara di Calabria, Franco Bettarini and Antonio Carlomagno, for whom a sentence of one year and eight months in prison respectively was requested.
Another request for an eight-year sentence concerns Giovanni Vangieli, legal representative of «Sybaris nature», a company that organized excursions in the Raganello gorges, while acquittal was requested for Marco Massaro, of «Sybaris Tour», a company that managed the transport of hikers. After what happened, the Raganello gorges were seized by the Castrovillari Public Prosecutor’s Office and are still closed to the public.
The clarification on Marco Massaro
Marco Massaro, for whom the public prosecution yesterday requested acquittal in the trial before the Castrovillari Court on the flooding in the gorges of the «Raganello» stream, in which ten people, nine hikers and a guide, died on 20 August 2018, is not the owner of the «Sybaris Tour» company. Davide Cavallaro, true owner and administrator of the «Sybaris Tour» itself, clarified this in a note. In reality, Massaro, according to what was subsequently learned, is the legal representative of «Raganello tour», a company that managed the transport of hikers in the “Raganello” gorges.