Worker who was freed after 12 hours trapped below rubble when a Thirteenth-century tower collapsed close to Rome’s Colosseum has died – whereas one other fights for his life

A Romanian construction worker who was freed after spending 12 hours trapped under the rubble of a medieval tower in central Rome, has died.

Part of the 29-metre 13th-century Torre dei Conti, located just steps from the Colosseum and Imperial Forum, collapsed shortly after 11:30am on Monday.

Firefighters scrambled to the scene and used ladders to evacuate four men involved in the maintenance of the unoccupied structure. 

One of the men, a 64-year-old worker, was taken to hospital with a head injury and remains in critical condition. At 1pm, a second collapse occurred inside the building as rescuers attempted to save a fifth worker.

Lamberto Giannini, prefect of Rome, told the state television network Rai, that the worker had been ‘pulled out and taken to hospital by ambulance’ at 10pm but that he was in ‘a serious condition’.

Earlier he had described ‘a long rescue mission’ and had hoped for a positive outcome for the trapped worker who later died in hospital. 

He was reported to be in his sixties and ‘conscious’ during the rescue mission.

Footage of the collapse showed huge chunks of masonry tumbling into the street and filled the air with a thick white cloud of dust. 

‘It’s a very complex situation for the firefighters because there is a person trapped inside,’ Giannini told local media early on Monday.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli rushed to the scene as emergency crews cordoned off the area and moved back crowds of onlookers. 

Dramatic footage shared online showed tourists running for cover as the medieval structure began to crumble.

A second partial collapse about an hour and a half later sent up yet another massive cloud of dust – while rescuers were still inside trying to reach the trapped man.

After the first collapse, firefighters managed to ‘put up some protection’ around him, Giannini said, adding: ‘They obviously shielded him’ when the second collapse occurred.

With the air still thick with dust, rescuers used cranes to reach high windows while a drone was flown through another to inspect the damage. An AFP journalist reported the arrival of specialised search and rescue units.

One worker, Ottaviano, 67, who was inside when the collapse began, told AFP: ‘It was not safe. I just want to go home.’ His uniform was covered in white dust as he recounted escaping from a balcony.

The Torre dei Conti, built in the early 1200s under Pope Innocent III, was being restored with European Union funds. 

The project – which began in June 2025 and included asbestos removal – was nearly complete, according to Rome’s Directorate of Cultural Heritage.

Authorities confirmed that the collapses affected part of the tower’s base, stairwell and roof. The directorate said earlier safety analyses had shown ‘necessary safety conditions’ for the work to proceed.

Prefect Giannini earlier warned the operation would be long and perilous: ‘It will be a very long operation because we have to try to save the person, but we also have to try to mitigate… the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue,’ he said.

‘We hope the outcome will be good, but it is not easy.’

‘It was terrifying,’ said Queen Paglinawan, 27, who was working in a nearby gelato shop. ‘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, was walking near the Colosseum when the second collapse took place. 

‘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,’ she said.

Four firefighters on mobile ladders were seen approaching a first-floor window before being quickly pulled back as dust poured from the opening. 

A drone was then deployed to check the condition of the trapped worker.

In a bizarre twist, the Italian government summoned Russia’s ambassador after Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova appeared to mock Italy’s support for Ukraine by linking it to the disaster.

‘As long as the Italian government keeps uselessly wasting taxpayers’ money, all of Italy will collapse, from the economy to its towers,’ she said.

The terrifying Rome collapse comes just weeks after a six-storey building in central Madrid caved in during renovations, killing four people and injuring several others.

Mayor Jose Luis Almeida confirmed the deaths with ‘deep sadness,’ while authorities launched an extensive drone and sniffer dog search operation. 

The building, being converted into a luxury hotel, was owned by a Saudi-based investment fund and had been flagged in previous inspections for ‘unfavourable’ structural conditions.

Once twice its current height, the Torre dei Conti was partially destroyed by earthquakes in the 14th and 17th centuries and had not been in public use since 2006.

Officials had hoped the EU-funded renovation would stabilise one of Rome’s most iconic medieval landmarks.