A worker has been taken to hospital with serious injuries and another is trapped under rubble following the partial collapse of a medieval tower under renovation in central Rome, near the Colosseum.
“We are trying to get him out alive but the situation is complex because of the risk of further collapses,” fire department spokesman Luca Cari told Reuters about ongoing rescue efforts.
Regional president Francesco Rocca, speaking to Italian news agencies, said the worker in hospital was not in a life-threatening condition while two more workers suffered minor injuries and declined hospital treatment.
Hundreds of tourists watched as firefighters used a mobile ladder and brought a stretcher to the upper level of the tower.
During the rescue operation by firefighters, another part of the tower collapsed, sending up a cloud of debris.
Firefighters who were on a mobile ladder quickly descended when the additional collapse occurred.
The 29-metre-high Torre dei Conti stands near one of the Eternal City’s tourist hotspots.
It is located halfway along the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the broad avenue that leads from central Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum.
It suffered at least two collapses, according to videos posted on social media and Reuters footage.
On both occasions, clouds of dust came billowing out of the windows, along with the sound of collapsing masonry.
The building was still standing but showing significant internal damage.
Italian media reports said both Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli were at the scene.
The tower once hosted city hall offices but has not been in use since 2006 and was being worked on as part of a four-year renovation project due to end next year, according to Rome city authorities.
Due to the restoration work, the area around the tower was closed off to pedestrians.
The building was erected by Pope Innocent III for his family in the early 13th century and was originally twice as high but was scaled down after damage from earthquakes in the 14th and 17th centuries.
with AP
https://thewest.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/rome-medieval-tower-partially-collapses-amid-renovation-c-20564707
