Rome's medieval tower collapses, trapping a man beneath its rubble. The Torre dei Conti, which has been under renovation since January, suffered two partial collapses on Monday, with debris hitting a 64-year-old worker in the first incident.
Witnesses described hearing a loud bang and seeing clouds of dust as the tower crumbled, with some people escaping by fleeing from balconies or rushing to the streets. One witness reported hearing a man trying to escape down the scaffolding before it collapsed.
Firefighters responded quickly, but their efforts were hindered when an internal section of the tower collapsed again at about 1pm, trapping one man on an upper floor. A specialist team is still working to rescue the man, with officials warning that the operation will be complex and fraught with risk due to the tower's unstable structure.
"It will be a very long and complex operation," said Rome prefect Lamberto Giannini. "Every effort is being made to save him, which is our absolute priority."
Tourists and passersby watched in horror as the rescue efforts unfolded, with many describing the scene as chaotic and frightening. Some witnesses reported feeling their buildings shake during the collapses.
The Torre dei Conti was built in the 13th century by a member of the powerful Conti family and has a long history of instability. Restoration works began last January, but it appears that the building's foundations were not properly assessed before commencing work.
Experts have warned about the risks associated with renovating historic buildings like the Torre dei Conti, citing concerns about structural integrity and potential for accidents. The EU's post-pandemic recovery fund is financing the restoration works in an effort to make the building more secure.
The rescue operation remains ongoing, with officials urging patience and caution as they work to free the man trapped beneath the rubble of Rome's ancient tower.
Witnesses described hearing a loud bang and seeing clouds of dust as the tower crumbled, with some people escaping by fleeing from balconies or rushing to the streets. One witness reported hearing a man trying to escape down the scaffolding before it collapsed.
Firefighters responded quickly, but their efforts were hindered when an internal section of the tower collapsed again at about 1pm, trapping one man on an upper floor. A specialist team is still working to rescue the man, with officials warning that the operation will be complex and fraught with risk due to the tower's unstable structure.
"It will be a very long and complex operation," said Rome prefect Lamberto Giannini. "Every effort is being made to save him, which is our absolute priority."
Tourists and passersby watched in horror as the rescue efforts unfolded, with many describing the scene as chaotic and frightening. Some witnesses reported feeling their buildings shake during the collapses.
The Torre dei Conti was built in the 13th century by a member of the powerful Conti family and has a long history of instability. Restoration works began last January, but it appears that the building's foundations were not properly assessed before commencing work.
Experts have warned about the risks associated with renovating historic buildings like the Torre dei Conti, citing concerns about structural integrity and potential for accidents. The EU's post-pandemic recovery fund is financing the restoration works in an effort to make the building more secure.
The rescue operation remains ongoing, with officials urging patience and caution as they work to free the man trapped beneath the rubble of Rome's ancient tower.
. Two collapses already? That scaffolding was supposed to be safe, but I guess nobody thought it through 
. The EU's funding that tower renovation might've been a good idea, but clearly not enough 
. So many people around, maybe they coulda helped that poor guy down or at least provided some warning signs 
. Guess we'll find out what happened and why next 
.
in front of ppl's eyes!!! 
a guy gets trapped under the rubble 
and its like, what r they gonna do 2 save him? 
. I mean, we all know historic buildings c an b unstable, but come on! 
when are ppl gonna learn 2 be more careful? 
the authorities r saying its a complex operation, but like, what else is new rn? 
... I mean, I can totally understand why restoration works are being done on the Torre dei Conti - it's a historic building and all that - but come on, who takes on a project like that without doing proper assessments? 
It's like they were playing with fire (or in this case, medieval stone) 
.
But really, you can bet your life savings that people are freaking out in private 
.
The EU's recovery fund is trying to make historic buildings more secure, but sometimes these things just go wrong. I'm sending all my positive vibes to the rescue team 
. I get that we need to preserve our history and all, but sometimes you gotta be realistic about the risks involved. Like, shouldn't they have done more assessments before starting the renovation? 
Anyway, fingers crossed for the guy trapped under the rubble... keep sending positive vibes 
. and to think it was just a few months ago they were finishing up those repairs... poor guy's gotta be going through the worst nightmare right now 
but i guess when youre dealing with centuries old structures, things fall apart literally 
i mean i get it, restoration works are important but did they even check the foundation lol hindsight is always 20/20 now the poor guy trapped under all that rubble my heart goes out to him & his fam gotta hope the rescue team can get him out safely 
. But, dude, this is just another reminder of how fragile life can be... one minute everything's fine, next thing you know there's a tower crashing down and someone's stuck underneath it 
... I mean, what even is going on here?! The building was supposed to be renovated with safety in mind and yet it just collapses twice? It's like they knew something was wrong but didn't do anything about it 
... I hope the rescue team is doing everything possible to save him, and please hurry up with it 
! And what's with the EU's recovery fund? Wasn't this supposed to be a way to make historic buildings safer? 
I'm not saying the guy trapped beneath the rubble isn't lucky to have rescuers on the scene, but... ugh, all this drama over a medieval tower. 
. Let him get pulled out when he's good and ready, no need for all this fuss 
the EU's trying to help with the recovery fund, but it's not like they can put a stop to renovation projects in Rome overnight 
and the man trapped beneath the rubble 
, I can only imagine how frightening it must be for everyone involved 
. Come on, guys, work together and get that poor guy outta there 
! It's just not worth risking his life 
.
like what were they thinking renovating an old building without checking the foundation first? 
apparently, they're trying their best to rescue him but it's gonna be a long & complex op