A worker, who had been rescued from the rubble of the collapsed medieval Torre dei Conti in central Rome, died, Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera reported after midnight on Tuesday. Crowds had cheered when emergency services freed him on Monday evening, but crews, who worked through the night amid the risk of further collapses, were unable to save him.
Italian PM expresses condolences
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni named the man as Octay Stroici in a statement after midnight, saying “she shares deep sorrow and condolences, on behalf of myself and the government, for the tragic loss”. “We are close to his family and colleagues at this time of unspeakable suffering,” she added. Another worker was seriously injured when the Torre dei Conti collapsed twice on Monday during renovation work. Italy’s national fire department spokesman Luca Cari said one worker was in hospital in a critical condition, while three other workers were pulled out unharmed. Hundreds of tourists watched firefighters use a mobile ladder to reach the upper level of the 29-metre (95 ft) tower, where the man had been trapped by the first collapse sometime before noon. During the rescue attempt, another part of the structure collapsed, sending a cloud of debris over the area and forcing firefighters to retreat. Large clouds of dust filled the square, accompanied by the sound of falling masonry. The tower remained standing but suffered significant internal damage.
‘I saw tower collapse in diagonal way’: Eye witness
Gelato shop worker Queen Paglinawan, 27, said she heard two loud noises in quick succession. She said: “I was working and then I heard some like falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way.” German student Viktoria Braeu, 18, said: “We were just at the Colosseum … and we were just walking to get some food. … And then we were like, ‘It’s probably not long until it’s going to go down,’ and then it just started erupting.'” No firefighters were injured. A drone was flown up to check the condition of the trapped worker. Rome city authorities said the Torre dei Conti, also known as the Tower of the Counts, has not been used since 2006 and was undergoing a four-year renovation project due to end next year. The surrounding area on Via dei Fori Imperiali had been closed off to pedestrians during the work. The tower, built in 1238 by Pope Innocent III for his family, was originally twice as high but was scaled down after damage from earthquakes in the 14th and 17th centuries.