Worker dies after 11 hours trapped within partially collapsed medieval
tower in Rome
[November 04, 2025]
By DAVID BILLER and TRISHA THOMAS
ROME (AP) — Firefighters late Monday finally managed to extract a worker
from beneath rubble inside a medieval tower that partially collapsed
during renovation work in the heart of Italy's capital, but the joy of
that rescue proved short-lived.
The man didn’t withstand the trauma he suffered and died soon after.
“I express deep sorrow and condolences, on behalf of myself and the
government,” Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement after
midnight, confirming his death. “We are close to his family and
colleagues at this time of unspeakable suffering.”
The Romanian foreign affairs ministry identified the man as Octav
Stroici in a statement Tuesday morning, and thanked rescuers for their
determination as they worked 11 hours for his extraction. Another
Romanian was successfully removed and is out of danger, the statement
said.
Rescuers had faced a complex task as they tried to use a first-floor
window to get near the trapped worker. But they were forced to retreat
in a cloud of debris as the structure continued to give way. Another
approach on two ladders was also aborted, and a drone sent up in their
stead.
As dusk approached, firefighters lifted on a crane used giant tubes to
suck rubble out of the second-floor window. They continued the work late
into the night.
A trio of rescuers eventually loaded the trapped worker, Stroici, onto a
telescopic aerial ladder, before descending and wheeling him on a
stretcher into an ambulance.
“The operation lasted a long time because every time a part of the body
was freed there was additional rubble that covered it," Lamberto
Giannini, prefect of Rome, told reporters.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri had told reporters earlier that the worker
was speaking to rescuers and using an oxygen mask. He added that
rescuers were working with extreme caution in “a very delicate
extraction operation” to avoid further collapses.
Three workers were rescued unharmed after the initial midday incident,
said firefighter spokesperson Luca Cari. Another worker, age 64, was
hospitalized in critical condition; RAI reported he was conscious and
had suffered a broken nose.
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.
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This combo of three pictures shows a cloud of debris from a second
collapse surrounding firefighters who were trying to rescue a worker
after a medieval tower near the Roman Forum partially collapsed
during renovation work, in Rome, Italy, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP
Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The first collapse struck the central buttress of the structure's
southern side, and caused an underlying sloped base to fall. The
second 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 parlor
next door when the tower first started coming apart.
“I was working and then I heard something falling, and then I saw
the tower collapse in a diagonal way,″ Paglinawan, 27, told The
Associated Press as yet more rubble crashed down.
The tower, which has been closed since 2007, is undergoing a 6.9
million euro (nearly $8 million) restoration, that includes
conservations 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 euros ($460,000), was
just about complete.
Italian prosecutors arrived at the scene as the rescue operation was
underway, 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.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan posted a statement to X on Tuesday
expressing his “profound sadness” after learning Stroici had died in
the hospital, and sent condolences to his loved ones.
___
AP reporters Colleen Barry in Milan, Silvia Stellaci in Rome and
Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, contributed
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