Torre dei Conti collapse: A worker dies after 11 hours under rubble, shocking Rome.

ROME – The Tower of the Counts, one of the capital's oldest and most solemn symbols, has become the scene of a tragedy that has shocked Rome and the entire country. After eleven hours of desperate searches, the lifeless body of Octay Stroici, a 66-year-old construction worker, was extracted from the rubble of the construction site where he had been working for some time. The partial collapse of the medieval monument, which occurred yesterday morning on Via dei Fori Imperiali, transformed an operation that was supposed to secure the structure into a tragedy.

Two sudden landslides overwhelmed Stroici, burying him under tons of debris. Firefighters worked tirelessly, with the help of specialized teams, drones, and canine units, in a race against time hampered by the fragility of the archaeological site. Hopes of finding him alive were dashed only at dawn, when his body was finally recovered.

The tragedy has forced a radical change in the program of Republic Day celebrations. For safety reasons and out of respect for the victims, the Ministry of Defense has decided to cancel the traditional Frecce Tricolori flyover of the Altar of the Fatherland. The official ceremony was nevertheless held, in an atmosphere of grief and composure.

Meanwhile the Prosecutor's Office Roma An investigation has been opened, investigating allegations of manslaughter and negligent disaster. The collapse area has been placed under lockdown, while prosecutors work to reconstruct the events and identify any culprits. An autopsy and a technical report on the structural failure will be crucial.