US EditionWorker dies after 11 hours trapped within partially collapsed medieval tower in Rome
A Romanian worker died and three others injured during a €6.9 million restoration of the 13th-century Torre dei Conti, which suffered two collapses during renovation.
- On Monday, November 3, 2025, a section of the Torre dei Conti partially collapsed near the Colosseum during renovation, seriously injuring one worker taken to hospital.
- Decades of decay and recent conservation efforts had left Torre dei Conti fragile, with widespread plant growth and vandalism during its EU-funded four-year restoration project due to end next year.
- Videos showed clouds of dust billowing from the tower's windows as masonry fell, while firefighters using aerial ladders retreated after a second partial collapse; three workers were rescued and one remained trapped for hours.
- Authorities seized the construction site and suspended restoration while launching a full investigation, as Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli attended and pedestrian closures were enforced around the tower.
- Renovating centuries-old monuments carries high risks for workers and structures, as shown by Torre dei Conti's earthquake damage and past collapses highlighting structural vulnerability.
478 Articles
478 Articles
800-Year-Old Tower Partially Collapses Near Rome’s Colosseum, Killing a Worker Trapped Inside
Octav Stroici, a 66-year-old Romanian man, was restoring the Torre dei Conti when the accident occurred on November 3. Several other workers were successfully rescued from the medieval structure
Alarm in the heart of the Eternal City: collapse at the Torre dei Conti – with far-reaching consequences. What is behind it remains unclear at first.
The worker who had been extracted from the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval Roman tower died on the night of Monday to Tuesday, shortly after his arrival at the hospital.
Italy Slams Zakharova’s ‘Vulgar’ Comments on Rome Tower Collapse
The Italian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador over comments made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova about the partial collapse of a medieval tower in Rome, Italian media reported Tuesday. “As long as the Italian government continues to waste its taxpayers’ money [on Kyiv], Italy will collapse completely: from its economy to its towers,” Zakharova had said after the Torre dei Conti, a 13th-century tower in Rome
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