Rome closes off area around site of partially collapsed mediaeval tower and orders evacuation of surrounding buildings.
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Tuesday signed an order closing off the area directly below Torre dei Conti, a mediaeval tower which partially collapsed on Monday, resulting in the death of a worker.
The public safety order includes the evacuation of a number of surrounding buildings, both residential and commercial, on Via Torre dei Conti and Via Madonna dei Monti.
The order also includes the prohibition of vehicular and pedestrian traffic in Largo Corrado Ricci, at the base of the tower, along with the closure of several restaurants, shops and a senior citizens’ centre.
In addition, the construction site has been sealed as the Rome prosecutor’s office opens an investigation for manslaughter, negligent disaster and serious injury.
Octay Stroici
The 13th-century tower, which had been under renovation, partially collapsed twice on Monday, once at 11.20 and again just before 13.00.
A worker trapped under the rubble for more than 11 hours was extracted alive by firefighters on Monday night but died after arriving in hospital.
Gualtieri has declared a day of mourning on Wednesday for the 66-year-old Romanian man, Octay Stroici, with flags at city buildings flying at half-mast in his memory.
The mayor, who left flowers at the site of the disaster on Tuesday, joined a torchlit procession for Stroici at the Colosseum on Tuesday evening.
Commenting on the sidelines of the solemn event, Gualtieri paid tribute to the firefighters “who risked their lives to save Octay until the very last moment”, adding: “This is a tragedy that has touched the heart of the city and the country”.
Workplace safety
The march, which featured white crosses and construction workers’ hard hats, was organised by Italy’s three biggest trade unions.
Natale Di Cola, head of the Rome and Lazio branch of the CGIL union, said the procession was intended to “ensure that this tragedy truly serves as a warning to our country to change legislation and ensure workplace safety”.
“We will continue to mobilise because the proposals put forward by the government do not solve the problems” – Di Cola said – “but above all to ensure that safety, the centrality, the dignity of work return to the centre of public debate.”
