On Aug. 14, 2018, the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, collapsed, sending vehicles and tons of rubble to the ground 50 meters below, killing 43 people. What went wrong with the Morandi Bridge and how did the design and maintenance of one of Genoa’s most iconic structures lead to its demise? Top bridge engineers give insight, survivors tell of their miraculous rescue by firefighters who faced a race against time to pull out the living from under the rubble.
Directors: Paul Russel, Andrea Vogt
Original title: What went wrong – Morandi Bridge
Watch the video by Best Documentary
Video “Morandi Bridge Disaster: What Went Wrong?” was uploaded on 11/02/2025 to Youtube Channel Best Documentary






































ironic that a big IKEA sign is there? lol
Mr. Capello definitely describes PTSD hope he's doing well.
How the hell is Michele going to say they should have started rebuilding immediately after the collapse and that the remaining structure was solid? The ONLY way to 'fix' or rebuild the bridge is to demolish it completely and start anew, as they appear to be doing. I'm sorry but that guy made zero sense with his explanations and analysis. "Our models didn't show it would do this, or or would fall this way." How the fcuk do you know what is going to happen when a structure that big fails and collapses? Maybe his statements were lost in translation, but he appeared to be just talking to the camera and really said nothing of substance. Who cares he did an independent analysis of the disaster, he knew nothing and said nothing in my opinion.
A new bridge by an Italian architect? I'm not driving over that bridge.
Ya the bridge rusted from the inside out.they encased all the steel cables in concrete that the elements could reach
God, how awful! My heart goes out to all those affected. I saw that they built the bridge right over the top of buildings, and I can't imagine being in those buildings. What a terrible disaster, but a great documentary, and thank you to all who participated.
with holes like that under the road on the bridge. wouldent water be a probable cause for sudden collapse?
it was raining heavy that day? in the days before the accident? could water have built up enough so that the bridge would collapse? i presume there is an outlet for the water but what if its clogged? something tells me a large amount of water is the trigger for this catastrophe.
sad stuff. sad so many lost their lives.
rip
Bad design and a construction without redundancy
Iti's can't build anything properly. Look at their Roman Colloseum – still isn't finished. Tower of Pisa on a huge lean.
Ich sage nur: Mafia
I‘ve been on holiday in Italy during the last 2 years. Some places look perfectly maintained but overall one wonders how so many stretches are in visibly bad condition while one still has to pay to use them decades after they have been built. Something is clearly crooked there. And as far as this so called expert goes: It is clear he is part of the problem. At one moment he says he would not have closed the bridge in spite of the existing knowledge, another moment he says that people could have started building a new bridge in days. Without having learned anything? Eco homo!
Neglect and decay were at work for far too long and, as always, people, innocent bystanders, had to pay the price. Greed and ignorance
If my car was plummeting downwards nose first and I pulled my hands off the wheel rest assured they would be in front of me, bracing for impact, behind your head is almost like saying, Lord take me now
Karma for cheap construction
One could say, it was a Moranic mistake.
The Italians had recently modernized this bridge before the disaster. They added exterior cocrete safety barriers for vehicles and steel covers for the cable anchors, along with new asphalt and some lighter components like cables. Each renovation caused vibrations, and the expansion bolts weakened the already old concrete. The added load of several tons from rain and the heavy traffic of 30-40 vehicles caused constant vibrations. And we saw the result. Instead of building a new bridge, the miserly Italians added weight to the old one.
we have a very high bridge in our city that was built in 1957 and today is very heavily used by cars and trucks. Every time I approach that bridge I wait until most trucks have crossed it before I cross it.
The narrator does a great job pronouncing the Italian names 👏
Also seeing the pictures of the happy couples with their young kids was really sad 😔
This reminds me of the I40 bridge over the Mississippi River at Memphis that got shut down when a drone noticed a crack that was alarming. Different type of bridge, the DeSoto bridge was mainly metal, not concrete. Turned out Arkansas transportation was responsible for structural exams, but had been negligent and didnt do their job. If not for the Memphis drone operator, a structural failure there probably would have been catastrophic, especially since it is so important commercially. Need competent government officials to do their jobs well.
this is the result of the corruption and collapse of industrial civilization the world over. This happens in America, China, Europe….. it almost seems we no longer believe in it as we once did.
What dos not make logical technical sens to me (just from my uneducated observation) of the computer modeling at frame 24:50 is how both sides of the concrete tower collapse at the exact same time. It seems a failure point would start first in one spot then drag the others down but how the computer was programmed was they fell simultaneously. Is this accurate or an interpretation. when real footage contradicts that..
We may never know what caused the collapsed. Next sentence "delayed repair work"
Imagine something so important and they delayed repairs.
Wrong Design. Rigid.
Not flexible. Using Concrete under TRACTION STRESS: CRAZY AND STUPID AND CRIMINAL
I once pooped 💩 on the bridge 🌉 while on vacation in Italia i hope it didn't couse it to collapse.
Thanks, this was very informative. The insights of the engineer were helpful.
There is something completely wrong here. First the 'expert' says that there were no signs that the part of the bridge would be on its way to collapse, he would not have closed it for reinforcement. When it collapsed the same 'expert' did not know why this could have happened.
This smells too loud. The same so called 'expert' said that they could have started to rebuild the destroyed part
only after short time. Mad!
What is needed here is international examination!
I would suggest that the issue with bridge maintenance is not restricted to the EU and is a global issue. Most of the global bridge infrastructure has been built in the last 50-60 years. Given that the lifespan for most of these structures is limited to 50 years, there are a LOT of bridges out there, well past their designated use-by dates.
I assisted with the preparation and award of a grant application in 2008, which looked at using AI for bridge maintenance, in conjunction with the partnering state authorities in our particular location.
There was a change in management just after award, and the project was jeopardised because the incoming director did not want to acknowledge there was an issue with bridge maintenance in our state.
It demonstrated to me the corruption that can occur at a government level.
And I suggest that this second compounding factor is also a common denominator globally.
The corruption within governments at federal, state and local levels and within private enterprises is rife.
Better the insurance pay outs and platitudes post any civil engineering failure, than proactively manage the decaying infrastructure.
41:00 I for one treat my life for what it is. MY RESPONSIBILITY. As such, I make educated guesses and often take calculated risks or at the very least, weight off my chances. So I find it unfair to try and look for blame outside of your own choices when something goes wrong. Bridges, like any complex engineering infrastructure are not safe. You cannot EVER assume that a engineered structure is perfectly safe and will not kill you. So, that being said, you cross a bridge, you take a risk. You can always take the long way around or not go to a place at all. There must be accountability for a structure to a point, but a collapse like this, has nobody at fault and nobody should be forced to pay victims. No different than a freak plane crash, train derailment, apartment fire. Take responsibility for your own safety and perhaps you will die in old age.
OMG! Gee, Mr. I Wear Ascots – REALLY BRO? Would you be saying that shit if one of YOUR family members died on that bridge? I don't think so. It was OBVIOUS there were structural issues with that bridge. Had they listened to YOU, there may have been MORE deaths due to further collapse
What an ass.
Italy has a lot more natural disasters and aged infrastructure than people assume. Floods and earthquakes aren’t uncommon
TS 6:14 What kind of work were the workers of the recycling company doing under the bridge at that time?
Entiendo que de esos puentes morandi ,con minusculas obligadas, se construyeron 8 en el mundo en la decada de los 60´s el ingeniero era un tipo de mucho renombre internacional y se tenia como un profesional muy confiable.
Grave error que tiempo despues sus mismos paisanos pagarian con sus vidas y otros en otros paises pagaron teniendo que demoler obras publicas costosas que deberian durar siglos en poco mas de 50 años.
Pero a lo que voy es lo interesante; de esos ocho construidos hay uno solo que se conserva en pie y que esta perfecto a simple vista se puede observar lo seguro y solido que es , me refiero al que esta construido sobre el Lago de Maracaibo en Venezuela, Porqué este puente si da la talla y los otros no?? sencillamente porque este fue rediseñado y construido por uno de los mejores ingenieros de todos los tiempos, me refiero al Ingeniero Juancho Otaola, nacido en Carupano , Venezuela.
Otaola cambio el diseño absurdo de morandi con respecto a los tirantes que eran segun los planos originales hechos de concreto armado "aunque usted no lo crea" Otaola los reemplazo por tirantes de acero galvanizado de alta resistencia hechos por supuesto en los EEUU, ese simple cambio es la diferencia entre una porqueria de obra y una obra que va a durar siglos , como el puente Brooklyn en NY y tantos otros.
Es ist so traurig das es immer wieder Menschenleben kostet weil man SPAREN will,korrupte Verantwortliche tun und lassen können was sie wollen,bis der Tod,eine Katastrophe alle einholt, wie auch in INDIEN,obwohl die Mängel bekannt waren!?🖤❤️🖤🕊🌹
Nič sme sa nedozvedeli.
The public paid for it's construction, and now the public will pay for it's demolition. The public have had lost 44 people, and the public will pay for the funerals of 44 of their members, and the bridge will be built again. Who will pay for all of this? – The public. "And let us not forget the legal and criminal proceedings liable to drag on for decades." Lots of lovely money for all involved….for decades to come.
32:16 using "comic sans" as font for the headlines of the illustrations…
May they have eternal peace 🕊️