Torre dei Conti Collapses Twice During Rescue

The 13th-century Torre dei Conti, built under Pope Innocent III and previously damaged by earthquakes, partially collapsed twice on Monday near the Colosseum while undergoing an EU-funded four-year restoration under the Caput Mundi–Next Generation EU programme, sending clouds of dust into the tourist area and trapping at least one worker under rubble. Firefighters and emergency crews made multiple rescue attempts using aerial and mobile ladders and later deployed a drone, but a second internal collapse during the operation forced crews to withdraw and complicated access. Three workers were rescued and two others suffered minor injuries and declined hospital treatment; at least one worker was hospitalized with reports varying between seriously injured and critical, and authorities reported signs of life from the person still trapped. Rescuers described the extraction as complex and dangerous because of the risk of further collapses. City and national officials, including Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli and the prefect, attended the cordoned-off scene as crews continued efforts to recover the trapped worker.