A partial structural failure at the medieval Torre dei Conti in central Rome left one worker trapped and another critically injured shortly after 11:30 local time on Monday, 3 November. A second internal collapse occurred around 13:00 while firefighters were already on site, forcing a temporary halt before operations resumed under stricter safety controls. Authorities sealed surrounding streets near the Roman Forum and the Colosseum as debris continued to fall intermittently.
Firefighters used aerial ladders and a drone to assess voids and stabilise access routes inside the tower. Officials confirmed the trapped worker was alive and in contact, while a 64‑year‑old colleague with head trauma was taken to San Giovanni hospital in serious condition. The rescue is described as complex due to the risk of further collapse and constrained access points.
The 29‑metre tower, dating to the early 13th Century and standing along Via dei Fori Imperiali, has been closed to the public for years and unoccupied since 2006. It was undergoing a multi‑year restoration scheduled to complete in 2026. Tourists and pedestrians were kept at distance as a precaution while structural checks continued.
The project forms part of Rome’s Caput Mundi programme financed through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Municipal documentation indicates €6.9m allocated to the Torre dei Conti for consolidation, restoration and public re‑use, with an indicative completion in the second quarter of 2026.
Works on listed monuments in Italy require authorisation and oversight under the Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code (Legislative Decree 42/2004). This framework assigns supervisory roles to the Ministry of Culture and, in Rome, the Sovrintendenza Capitolina, which attended the scene alongside city authorities.
Construction activities are governed by Italy’s occupational safety law (Legislative Decree 81/2008). For temporary or mobile construction sites, Title IV requires the client or project supervisor to appoint safety coordinators, prepare a site‑specific Safety and Coordination Plan, and issue a preliminary notification to authorities when thresholds are met. These duties sit alongside obligations for contractors and subcontractors on training, work‑at‑height protections and the design and verification of temporary works.
These national rules reflect the EU’s minimum requirements for construction sites set out in Directive 92/57/EEC, which mandates coordinator roles, risk‑led planning and documentation for multi‑employer sites. The European Commission’s non‑binding guidance details good practice for sequencing, confined‑space access and progressive stabilisation during restoration works.
Emergency operations are coordinated within Italy’s civil protection system. Under the Civil Protection Code (Legislative Decree 1/2018), the National Fire and Rescue Service (Vigili del Fuoco) leads urgent technical rescue and site safety in the immediate aftermath, working with the prefecture, police and municipal services to secure perimeters and manage public risk.
Given the location beside major visitor routes, Rome police extended cordons and suspended access in the vicinity to reduce exposure to falling debris. For the tourism sector, short‑term implications include diversions around Via dei Fori Imperiali and potential adjustments to guided routes while structural assessments and stabilisation proceed.
Attention will now turn to the adequacy of method statements and temporary works design, including propping, scaffolding ties and phased demolition or removal plans typical in heritage stabilisation. Investigators commonly review compliance with the Cultural Heritage Code, the construction safety regime under Legislative Decree 81/2008 and the EU directive’s coordinator and planning requirements, alongside any monitoring data specified in the restoration contract.
Project timelines under Caput Mundi may require re‑profiling after the incident. Municipal planning papers for the Torre dei Conti envisaged structural consolidation, accessibility improvements and future public use of the monument; any revised schedule will depend on rescue outcomes, engineering assessments and the authorising decisions of the Ministry of Culture and the city’s heritage superintendent.