Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation following the death of a worker trapped when a medieval monument in central Rome partly collapsed. Octav Stroici, 66, was rescued after 11 hours under fallen masonry on Monday night but died of his injuries at Umberto I hospital.
The Romanian national was part of a team of 11 undertaking restoration works at the 29-metre Torre dei Conti, near the Colosseum, when it suffered two collapses. Another worker, Gaetano La Manna, 66, was injured but discharged from hospital, while two others were rescued by firefighters before the second collapse trapped Stroici.
Rome's council announced a day of mourning for Stroici on Wednesday. The area around the 13th-century tower remained cordoned off on Tuesday as investigators examined the cause of the collapse. The monument, closed since 2007, was due to reopen next year after repairs costing almost €7m (£6.2m) funded by the EU's post-pandemic recovery fund.
Rome's cultural heritage office stated that structural checks had confirmed safety conditions before work began. Speculation over the collapse includes a 3.3 magnitude earthquake on Saturday night and construction of an underground station at nearby Piazza Venezia.
The incident has reignited debate on workplace safety in Italy, with union Cgil blaming poor standards. Natale Di Cola, head of Cgil's Rome and Lazio unit, said: 'In a healthy country, Octav, aged 66, wouldn't have found himself on a construction site performing demanding, intense and dangerous tasks to earn a living. All of this must change.'
