Rome's medieval tower collapses, claiming life of 66-year-old Romanian worker in dramatic rescue operation.
A lengthy rescue effort was launched on Monday night after the Torre dei Conti, a 13th-century monument near the Colosseum, partially collapsed, trapping one of 11 workers on site. Octav Stroici, a Romanian national and employee of specialist restoration company, suffered severe injuries during the incident before being rescued at 10pm. Sadly, he passed away shortly after arriving at hospital.
According to officials, the rescue operation lasted over 11 hours due to additional rubble falling on every freed part of his body. The city's prefect described the scene as "delicate and complex," highlighting the risks faced by those carrying out restoration work in central Rome.
Stroici had spent over 30 years living in Italy with his family, where he was well-respected for his calm nature and dedication to his craft. His colleagues have expressed shock and sadness at his passing, while also emphasizing the need for improved workplace safety standards in Italy.
The incident has reignited debate on workplace safety, with Cgil union representatives stating that an average of three lives are lost daily due to accidents. The union's leader, Natale Di Cola, stressed that workers like Stroici should not have been performing high-risk tasks, calling for fundamental changes to ensure a safer working environment.
As authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the collapse, speculation remains over potential factors contributing to the disaster, including an earthquake and underground construction projects. The tower's stability has also come under scrutiny, with some locals expressing concerns about the fragility of Rome's ancient landmarks.
A day of mourning for Stroici is set to take place on Wednesday, while a memorial service will be held in his honor.
A lengthy rescue effort was launched on Monday night after the Torre dei Conti, a 13th-century monument near the Colosseum, partially collapsed, trapping one of 11 workers on site. Octav Stroici, a Romanian national and employee of specialist restoration company, suffered severe injuries during the incident before being rescued at 10pm. Sadly, he passed away shortly after arriving at hospital.
According to officials, the rescue operation lasted over 11 hours due to additional rubble falling on every freed part of his body. The city's prefect described the scene as "delicate and complex," highlighting the risks faced by those carrying out restoration work in central Rome.
Stroici had spent over 30 years living in Italy with his family, where he was well-respected for his calm nature and dedication to his craft. His colleagues have expressed shock and sadness at his passing, while also emphasizing the need for improved workplace safety standards in Italy.
The incident has reignited debate on workplace safety, with Cgil union representatives stating that an average of three lives are lost daily due to accidents. The union's leader, Natale Di Cola, stressed that workers like Stroici should not have been performing high-risk tasks, calling for fundamental changes to ensure a safer working environment.
As authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the collapse, speculation remains over potential factors contributing to the disaster, including an earthquake and underground construction projects. The tower's stability has also come under scrutiny, with some locals expressing concerns about the fragility of Rome's ancient landmarks.
A day of mourning for Stroici is set to take place on Wednesday, while a memorial service will be held in his honor.
what a terrible way to start the week... 11 hours rescue effort and still they had to take him out like that 
can't even imagine how traumatic it must've been for everyone involved 
Octav's life was more than just his work, he had a whole family here and now they're left with nothing but grief 
and I'm all for improved safety standards, it's not rocket science 
we need to take care of our workers before some ancient monument falls on them 
I feel so bad for Octav and his family 
. The fact that it happened on a Monday night is just awful, no one should have to go through that at all 
. Safety standards in Italy definitely need to be relooked at, three lives lost daily due to accidents? 
That's just heartbreaking 
can't believe this is happening again... 11 hours rescue effort and still not enough safety measures in place 
and now he's gone... his colleagues are still trying to process it all 
I mean have you ever had the hazelnut one? it's like a party in your mouth! anyway back to this tower collapse... 30 yrs of living in Italy? my cousin's been living here for 5 yrs and he's already mastered the art of taking siestas 
. seriously though, workplace safety is super important we should all be advocating for better safety standards, like what Cgil said 
. but can we also talk about how Rome's landmarks need some serious TLC? those ancient structures are like, whoa 
my heart goes out to the 10 other workers who were on site, they must be traumatized by what happened... lets hope their voices get heard about workplace safety 
just heard about the collapse of the Torre dei Conti in Rome and I'm still trying to process it 
can't imagine how stressful the rescue operation must have been for everyone involved 
. Safety standards need to be improved ASAP 
Stroici's colleagues were right, it's not just about the workers' lives but also their families and loved ones who'll be affected by this tragedy 
. Rest in peace Octav 
authorities gotta get to the bottom of this and make some changes ASAP... 
. Italy's got a lot of old history, but can't we find ways to preserve it without putting people in danger? 
and what's with these new-fangled restoration projects anyway? is it really worth risking lives like this? 
and now there's talk of earthquake and underground construction projects... just waiting for someone to say "it's not our fault" 
. Italy needs to take workplace safety seriously, it's not just about saving one life but also about being responsible for those who come after 
. Can you imagine the fear and pain that worker must have felt trapped under all that rubble? 11 hours of rescue efforts are way too long for anyone to be stuck in such a situation... 
... workers like Octav deserve better 
... Italy needs 2 improve their workplace safety standards ASAP 
. A 66-year-old guy, living in Italy for decades, loses his life on the job... that's just unacceptable 
.
. We need to start holding our leaders accountable for putting workers in harm's way 
.
This whole thing is a perfect example of how politics can get in the way of progress 
. Italy needs to take workplace safety seriously, you know? Like, Cgil is saying an average of 3 lives lost daily due to accidents... that's just unacceptable 
. And an earthquake? Underground construction projects? Come on, it's not like anyone really knows what caused this 
. Stroici was a lucky guy to have made it out alive... for how long, though? 30 years is just a blink of an eye when you're working with old buildings that are literally falling apart