Three workers were rescued unharmed after the initial midday incident, said firefighter spokesperson Luca Cari. Another worker, age 64, was hospitalised in a critical condition; RAI reported he was conscious and had suffered a broken nose.
A cloud of debris from a second collapse is seen surrounding firefighters who were trying to rescue a worker after the tower partially collapsed during renovation work.Credit: AP
No firefighters were injured in the ensuing operation.
The Torre dei Conti was built in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his family. The tower was damaged in a 1349 earthquake and suffered subsequent collapses in the 17th century.
Hundreds of tourists had gathered to watch as firefighters used a mobile ladder to bring a stretcher to the upper level of the Torre dei Conti during the first rescue attempt. Suddenly, another part of the structure crumbled, sending up a cloud of debris and forcing firefighters to quickly descend.
Loading
The first collapse struck the central buttress of the structure’s southern side, and caused an underlying sloped base to fall. The second collapse damaged part of the stairwell and roof, cultural heritage officials said in a statement.
Queen Paglinawan, 27, was attending to a client in a gelato parlour next door when the tower started coming apart.
“I was working and then I heard something falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way,” Paglinawan told the Associated Press as yet more rubble crashed down.
The tower, which has been closed since 2007, was undergoing a €6.9 million ($12 million) restoration that included conservation work, the installation of electrical, lighting and water systems, and a new museum installation dedicated to the most recent phases of the Roman Imperial Forum, officials said.
Before the latest phase was started in June, structural surveys and load tests were carried out “to verify the stability of the structure, which confirmed the safety conditions necessary” to proceed with work, including asbestos removal, officials said. The current work, carried out at a cost of €400,000, was just about complete.
Italian prosecutors arrived at the scene as the rescue operation was under way and were investigating possible charges for negligent disaster and negligent injuries, Italian media reported. It is common in Italy for investigations to begin while an event is ongoing and before possible suspects are identified.
German student Viktoria Braeu had just finished a tour at the nearby Colosseum and was passing by the scene during the firefighters’ initial rescue attempt.
“And then we were like, ‘It’s probably not long until it’s going to go down,’ and then it just started erupting,” said Braeu, 18.
AP
