Worker rescued from collapsed medieval tower after 11 hours trapped in rubble

A man is in a critical condition after he was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed medieval tower in central Rome on Monday.

Crowds who gathered around the 13th-century Torre dei Conti, near the Colosseum, cheered when the man was pulled free by the emergency services.

Crews worked into the night to free the worker, having to navigate the risk of further collapses of the structure.

Another worker was seriously injured when the Torre dei Conti collapsed twice on Monday while it had been undergoing renovation work.

Italy's national fire department spokesman Luca Cari said one worker was in hospital in a critical condition, while three other workers were pulled out unharmed.

Hundreds of tourists watched as firefighters used a mobile ladder to bring a stretcher to the upper level to rescue the worker from the 29-metre (95 ft) tower, where he was trapped by the first collapse, sometime before noon.

But, during the attempt, another part of the structure collapsed, sending up a cloud of debris and forcing firefighters to retreat quickly.

'I saw the tower collapse'

Large clouds of dust filled the area after the incidents, along with the sound of collapsing masonry, leaving the structure standing, but with significant internal damage.

Gelato shop worker Queen Paglinawan, 27, said she heard the two loud noises from the town in quick succession.

She said: "I was working and then I heard some like falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way."

German student Viktoria Braeu, 18, said: "We were just at the Colosseum … and we were just walking to get some food. ... And then we were like, 'It's probably not long until it's going to go down,' and then it just started erupting.'

Four firefighters later approached the first-floor window on two mobile ladders, but were quickly pulled back when dust began to rise.

Drone used to see worker

No firefighters were injured in the ongoing operation.

A drone was then flown up to check the condition of the trapped worker.

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Torre dei Conti (Tower of the Counts) has not been used since 2006 and was being worked on as part of a four-year renovation project due to end next year, Rome city authorities said.

The surrounding area was closed off to pedestrians during the work.

Located on Via dei Fori Imperiali, the tower was built in 1238 by Pope Innocent III for his family and was originally twice as high, but was scaled down after damage from earthquakes in the 14th and 17th centuries.

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