The Romanian trapped under the rubble in Rome was pulled out after 12 hours of efforts, but his heart stopped in the ambulance and he died

The Romanian worker trapped under the rubble of the collapse of part of a medieval tower in central Rome was pulled out after a nearly 12-hour rescue effort, but went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and later died in hospital, the BBC reports.

Octay Stroici was pulled from the rubble at 23:00 local time (midnight in Romania), almost twelve hours after a section of the Torre dei Conti, located on the edge of the famous Roman Forum and near the Colosseum, collapsed and trapped him under the rubble.

His heart stopped in the ambulance, and doctors at the hospital he was rushed to were unable to save him.

The Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, had warned before the man was taken out from under the rubble that he was in a serious condition, according to Rai News. “The situation is very delicate. There is cautious optimism on the part of those trying to save his life,” the official said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Stroici was a Romanian citizen, as was another worker among the three who were pulled from the rubble. The Romanian previously taken to the hospital suffered minor injuries and is out of any danger, according to the Italian authorities.

Three workers were pulled from the rubble shortly after the collapse.

Firefighters fought late into the night to get him out

Pulling Stroici from the rubble was described as an exceptional achievement by firefighters who worked late into the night. Rescue teams used drones and debris removal machines to try to reach him, despite the risk of the fragile tower collapsing further.

He was conscious and talking to emergency crews throughout the rescue operation. His wife was also at the scene.

Stroici participated in the conservation works at the medieval tower that is part of the Roman Forum, one of the busiest tourist attractions of the city. This building had been empty and abandoned for many years.

The prosecutor's office in Rome has opened an investigation into the incident.

Efforts to rescue Stroici, who was 66, were interrupted when a second section of the 29-metre tower began to collapse again, the bricks falling in waves and creating a huge cloud of dust.

Rome, collata parte della Torre dei Conti ai Fori imperiali: un operaio è grave. Il momento del secondo crollo https://t.co/lTqzgRUUkV pic.twitter.com/7g5ekQsj2S

— Il Foglio (@ilfoglio_it) November 3, 2025

Earlier, the prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini, described the situation as “very complex”. Giannini said that after the initial collapse, firefighters “installed some protection” around the trapped man so that when the second collapse occurred, they “definitely protected him.”

He added that the rescue operation took a long time because it was necessary to “mitigate … the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue”.

One firefighter was taken to hospital with an eye problem, according to local media, but the others were unharmed, eventually resuming the search for the man.

“My thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to the person who is currently fighting for his life under the rubble and to his family, for whom I sincerely hope that this tragedy will have a positive outcome,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X before the rescue operation was completed.

The tower had been under renovation for three years

The Torre dei Conti, with a height of 29 meters, is located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the wide thoroughfare that connects Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum.

The building once housed the town hall offices, but has not been used since 2006, and is currently being renovated as part of a four-year restoration project, due to be completed next year, according to Rome authorities.

Following Monday's incident, the building was still standing but had significant internal damage.

Due to restoration work, the area around the tower had been closed to pedestrians.

Torre dei Conti was built at the beginning of the 13th century by Pope Innocent III for his family. Initially, the tower was twice as tall, but it was resized after the damage caused by earthquakes in the 14th and 17th centuries.