Torre dei Conti in Rome collapses leaving one in hospital and several trapped
One person is in hospital and several others are trapped.
A renowned tower in Italy has collapsed leaving one person with serious injuries and several others trapped. Torre dei Conti, a 29-metre structure in Rome, collapsed earlier today.
One person has been rushed to hospital. The tower was undergoing renovation the incident happened, according to the ANSA news agency.
Three workers who were on scaffolding supporting the tower became trapped following the collapse. They were subsequently rescued by firefighters utilising a ladder truck.
Luca Cari, a spokesman for the national fire department, informed Reuters earlier that emergency services were striving to free one person trapped beneath the rubble.
Social media videos of the incident depicted clouds of dust billowing from the tower. As reported by Euro News, Rome Fire Brigade dispatched three operational teams, two ladder trucks, and specialist units to the scene, reports the Mirror.
Officials announced via social media that firefighters remained "unharmed" during the rescue operations. A statement read: "Firefighters are unharmed following the second collapse at the Torre dei Conti in central Rome. Rescue efforts continue."
Situated near the Colosseum, the tower was constructed in 1238 by Pope Innocent III as a fortified residence for his family. It had recently been undergoing restoration, funded by Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
According to Roma Si Transforma, the restoration efforts were designed to tackle numerous problems including the "serious problems" that were discovered on the building's exterior wall.
The renovation information page reveals: "These problems include widespread disintegration of the construction elements, giving way to the growth of spontaneous vegetation which penetrated the masonry with its roots and contributed to the damage. In addition, the masonry has been the subject of vandalism."
The interior of the structure remains in a "general state of decay", which encompasses the "collapse of some modern false ceilings, damage to window and door frames and damage to decorative paintings".
The project was anticipated to reach completion by the second quarter of 2026.