The owners of four asbestos factories in Italy, accused of negligence causing the deaths of 2,000 workers, are to face trial in December. The two tycoons, one of whom is Swiss, face up to 13 years in prison.

The case is being brought by former employees of the Italian industrial group Eternit, who claim some 2,000 people have died and a further 800 are ill as a result of handling blue asbestos, a highly dangerous fibrous mineral. Before it was banned in Italy in 1992, the cancer-inducing substance was widely used in construction, for its heat-resistant properties. The two men, who owned the factories between 1973 and 1986, are accused of failing to respect rules on safety in the workplace. Many of the claimants in the class-action suit are from the Italian village of Casale Monferrato, which was home to one of the factories. Inhabitants say 4 people fall ill there each month, and 40 die each year from asbestos-related illness. The much-anticipated trial will open in December and could take several years.