A worker is pulled from a partially collapsed medieval tower in Rome

A worker who was trapped after part of a medieval tower collapsed in the heart of Rome has been rescued, according to local media reports.

The man was freed at 11:00 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT) – nearly twelve hours after part of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman Forum and near the Colosseum, gave way and trapped him below. He was taken to hospital.

Romania’s foreign ministry said the trapped man was from Romania, as was another worker who was among three others pulled from the rubble. One is said to be in critical condition.

The tower had been closed to the public for many years and was undergoing conservation work when part of it collapsed.

Speaking about the rescued worker, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said: “We hope he will get away.”

Rome prefect Lamberto Giannini told reporters that the worker had been pulled from the rubble after a “long rescue mission”.

He previously described it as a “very complicated situation”. Giannini said that after the initial collapse, firefighters “put some protection” around the trapped man, so when the second collapse occurred, “they obviously protected him.”

He added that the rescue would be a long operation because of the need to “reduce … the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue”.

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

Efforts to rescue the worker – reported to be in his 60s – were interrupted when a second section of the 29-metre (90ft) tall tower began to collapse again, with bricks raining down, creating a huge cloud of dust.

According to local media, one firefighter was taken to hospital with an eye problem, but the others were unharmed and eventually resumed the search for the man.

A police chief said there was no immediate danger the tower would collapse.

“My thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the man who is currently fighting for his life under the rubble and to his family, for whom I sincerely hope that this tragedy will find a positive outcome,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to X before the rescue ended.

Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, who was inside at the time of the collapse but escaped from the balcony unharmed, told AFP: “It wasn’t safe. I just want to go home.”

The mayor of Rome and the country’s minister of culture visited the site. A crane and a drone are also being used to assist the rescue operation.

The 13th-century tower is part of the Roman Forum, a major tourist attraction right in the heart of the city, but is separated from the main visitor area by a road. The surrounding streets have been taped off by the police as a precaution.

The medieval tower was built by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his brother.