A Romanian worker who was trapped for several hours under rubble after the partial collapse of a medieval tower near the Colosseum in Rome has died, local media reported.
Rescue crews freed him late Monday and took him to hospital in critical condition, said Rome police chief Lamberto Giannini.
The 29-meter high Torre dei Conti tower collapsed twice at the work site — first at about 10:30 GMT and then again around 90 minutes later — videos and Reuters footage showed.
One other Romanian worker was pulled out almost immediately and admitted to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening head injuries. Two more workers sustained minor injuries but declined hospital treatment. None of the firefighters assisting at the scene were hurt.
The tower, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, had been under renovation as part of a four-year restoration project scheduled to finish next year.
Built in the early 13th century for Pope Innocent III’s family, the tower originally stood higher but was reduced in height after earthquake damage in the 14th and 17th centuries. (Reuters)