ATHENS – The trial of 21 people facing charges for the deadly floods that swept through the town of Mandra, Attica in November 2017, leaving 25 people dead, began on Friday. Many of those on trial chose not to come to the courtroom, including the former Attica Region governor, Rena Dourou.

The hearing is expected to take a long period of time as there are roughly 135 witnesses, of which 103 appeared on Friday. Relatives of the victims have also filed civil actions and have asked to be present during the trial.

The 21 defendants face charges ranging from causing a flood through negligence, repeated counts of manslaughter through negligence, causing injury and violating building rules.