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Tragedy Strikes Rome: Worker Dies After Medieval Tower Collapse
Rome, Italy – A renovation project on Rome’s historic Torre dei Conti turned into a tragic scene Monday, as a partial collapse of the medieval tower claimed the life of a worker and injured others. Firefighters worked for 11 grueling hours to extract the trapped individual, only for him to succumb to his injuries shortly after rescue.
The victim was identified Tuesday morning by the Romanian foreign affairs ministry as Octav Stroici. Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep sorrow and condolences” in a statement, extending her sympathies to Stroici’s family and colleagues.
The incident began midday when the 13th-century tower, closed since 2007 and undergoing a multi-million euro restoration, partially collapsed. Three workers were rescued unharmed, and another 64-year-old worker was hospitalized in critical condition with a broken nose.
The rescue of Stroici proved to be a complex and dangerous operation. Firefighters initially attempted to reach him through a first-floor window but were forced to retreat as the structure continued to give way.
Subsequent attempts with ladders were also aborted due to further instability. Drones were deployed to assess the situation.
As evening approached, rescuers utilized a crane to lift giant tubes, sucking rubble out of a second-floor window. The painstaking process continued late into the night. “The operation lasted a long time because every time a part of the body was freed there was additional rubble that covered it,” explained Lamberto Giannini, prefect of Rome.
Eventually, a team of rescuers managed to load Stroici onto a telescopic aerial ladder and transport him to an awaiting ambulance. Despite the arduous rescue, the trauma he suffered proved too severe.
Eyewitnesses described the dramatic scene. Queen Paglinawan, working at a nearby gelato parlor, recounted hearing “something falling” before seeing “the tower collapse in a diagonal way.” German student Viktoria Braeu, who had just finished a tour of the Colosseum, watched as the structure “started erupting.”
Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident, considering possible charges of negligent disaster and negligent injuries. Officials stated that structural surveys and load tests had been conducted prior to the latest phase of restoration, confirming the stability of the structure. The current work, valued at 400,000 euros, was reportedly nearing completion.
The Torre dei Conti, built by Pope Innocent III, has a history of collapses, having been damaged in a 1349 earthquake and experiencing further structural failures in the 17th century.