Calenzano Massacre: Investigation Closed for 9 Suspects, Seven from Eni
Prosecutor's office, probative hearing clears company of administrative wrongdoing
Nine suspects in major Calenzano explosion
The Prosecutor's Office of Prato has closed its investigation into the explosion at the Eni fuel storage facility in Calenzano, which on 9 December 2024 caused five deaths, 27 injuries and significant material damage. According to ANSA Cronaca, the notice concluding the investigation is being served on nine individuals: seven managers or persons in charge at Eni and two from the contracting company Sergen srl.
The suspects face charges, to varying degrees, of multiple manslaughter through negligence, negligent disaster and injury. They will have twenty days from notification to request to be questioned, after which the Prosecutor's Office may file a request for committal for trial.
"Serious and inexcusable errors"
A year of probative investigation — from March 2025 to April 2026 — and a month of study of the technical report have confirmed, according to the Prosecutor's Office, that the causes of the explosion were "serious and inexcusable errors". Among these were the presence of ignition sources such as the combustion engine of the elevating platform used by Sergen workers, and the simultaneous continuation of tanker loading operations in an area of high explosive risk. The Prosecutor's Office additionally identifies a "lack of technical planning" in the new line for biofuel Hvo being installed, due to the absence of a risk assessment for interference — running engines, explosive substances — in that operational context.
"The work accident proved in concrete terms to be foreseeable, had adequate risk analysis been carried out," the Prosecutor's Office writes, "and avoidable, had the mandatory safety, protection and planning procedures been followed correctly for the work that Sergen was supposed to carry out."
Who the suspects are
The seven Eni employees served with the notice are: Luigi Cullurà, manager of the storage facility; Carlo Di Perna, head of maintenance for Deposits Centre Eni spa; Marco Bini, person in charge who had classified Sergen; Andrea Strafelini, daily coordinator and person in charge; Elio Ferrara, person in charge who authorised the work permit for 9 December 2024; Emanuela Proietti, head of the prevention and protection service; and Enrico Cerbino, head of external projects. For Sergen srl, the suspects are Francesco Cirone, employer of the executing enterprise, and Luigi Murno, person in charge of the same company.
Eni spa remains outside the main investigation
The probative investigation excluded administrative liability for the company Eni spa pursuant to legislative decree 231/2001. The Prosecutor's Office explains that "the organisational model was found to be correct" and that "no issues emerged for a causal link between the provisions of the model and the events" that occurred. "It does not appear foreseeable to reach a conviction of Eni," it states in the records, and it is not possible to "contest failure to supervise" Patrizia Boschetti, legal representative of the operational management of Centre Eni deposits.
Parallel investigation for environmental offences
A second notice concluding the investigation, separate from the first, concerns alleged environmental offences related to the discharge of hydrocarbons into a ditch adjacent to the storage facility. For this line of investigation, Patrizia Boschetti is a suspect in her capacity as legal representative of Centre Eni spa, together with managers Luigi Cullurà and Marco Bini.
Source: ANSA Cronaca