A worker who had been trapped for 11 hours in the partial collapse of a medieval tower in the heart of Rome has died after being rescued late Monday, officials said.
The 66-year-old man, Octay Stroici, was the last of several workers saved in the rescue operation that was briefly interrupted by a second collapse of the 95-foot-tall Torre de’ Conti tower, Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Rome Fire Service, told ABC News.
The man’s condition had been reported as critical when rescuers got him down to the ambulance before the drive to the hospital.
“On behalf of myself and the government, I express my deepest sorrow and condolences for the tragic death of Octay Stroici, the worker who fell victim to the collapse of the Torre dei Conti in Rome,” read a statement from Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s office that was released overnight. “Our thoughts are with his family and colleagues at this time of unspeakable grief. I would like to thank once again the rescue workers and all those who worked tirelessly and courageously to try to save his life.”
Dust rises due to a collapse part of the medieval tower “Torre dei Conti” near the Roman Forum in the historic center of Rome, November 3, 2025.
Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images
Before being saved, the trapped worker was conscious and communicating with search-and-rescue crews, Cari said. About 140 firefighters responded to the scene, some digging with their bare hands to free the worker.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters on Monday evening, just before the last rescue was made, that doctors had reached the worker and supplied him with oxygen.
No firefighters were injured in the incident, officials said.
The tower is in the historic part of central Rome near the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
Cari said the emergency unfolded around 11 a.m. local time. At the time of the first collapse, 11 workers from two companies were working on the tower.
View of the partially collapsed Torre dei Conti, a medieval tower that was undergoing restoration in Rome, November 3, 2025.
Anadolu via Getty Images
“It all happened suddenly,” one of the workers told Italy’s ANSA news agency. “Then I only saw the cloud of dust and the rescuers.”
Cari said the second partial collapse occurred about an hour after the first, while firefighters were attempting to rescue the workers.
At least three other workers were pulled from the rubble, two of them unharmed, officials said. One rescued worker, a 64-year-old man, was taken to a hospital with a head injury, officials said.
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.
The tower has been closed to the public since 2007, but recently received a large grant from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan for the renovation, officials said.
The Torre dei Conti tower, which dates back to the 13th century, was built by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his family.