Flags in Rome to fly at half-mast in memory of Octay Stroici.
The mayor of Rome has declared a day of mourning on Wednesday 5 November for a worker who died after being trapped under rubble for 11 hours following the partial collapse of a mediaeval tower in the city centre on Monday.
Octay Stroici, a 66-year-old Romanian man, died overnight in hospital shortly after being pulled alive from the rubble at the Torre dei Conti in a massive rescue operation.
In a sign of mourning for Stroici, flags will be flown at half-mast in all municipal buildings on Wednesday, as “the city of Rome stands with his family, colleagues, and all those who loved him, sharing the pain of this tragic loss”.
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Tuesday expressed his deepest condolences on the death of Stroici, extending his “heartfelt thoughts to his family, colleagues, and all those close to him”.
Gualtieri also paid tribute to the firefighters, police and rescue workers “who responded with great professionalism and dedication in such a complex and dramatic situation”.
Italy cancelled a flypast of the Frecce Tricolori jets over Rome on Tuesday morning, scheduled as part of an annual aerobatic display to mark a national day in honour of unity and the armed forces, to avoid impeding efforts to make safe the 13th-century tower.
Photo Vigili del Fuoco
