Rome’s Colosseum will be closed for two days after a worker plunged 30ft to his death while fitting new lights.
The death of Andrea Moretti, a 22-year-old specialist high-altitude rope access worker, was confirmed by Italy‘s Culture Ministry today.
The man, an avid rock climber, was working overnight to install a new lighting system at a high altitude, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but despite resuscitation efforts, the young man succumbed to his injuries.
The second level of the Roman monument – which is considered one of the seven wonders of the world and attracts millions of visitors each year – was closed on Wednesday following the incident.
‘As a mark of mourning, the (Colosseum Archaeological) Park has decided to close to the public for the day the second-tier section where the accident occurred,’ the ministry said in a statement.
It gave no further details but said police were working to determine the circumstances of the incident.
Giorgia Meloni said that the government was deeply shocked and saddened by the death and called for the cause to be determined as quickly as possible.
‘Dying at the age of 22 is unacceptable – even more so when it happens in the workplace,’ she said in a statement.
Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli expressed ‘our deepest, heartfelt condolences to all for the senseless death of a young man while at work.’
Part of the Colosseum (pictured)) was closed on Wednesday after a staff member plunged 30ft to his death
The Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre in the world, was built in the first century and was used to host events like animal hunts and gladiatorial games.
It could hold around 50,000 spectators.
The monument gets up to 20,000 visitors a day at peak times.
The incident at the Colosseum comes a year after an American tourist impaled himself on a metal fence while attempting to take a selfie at the archaeological site.
The 47-year-old was dangling from the fence and screaming until he fell unconscious after becoming badly wounded at the iconic Roman landmark last May.
The man was seen climbing the perimeter railings that surround the Colosseum’s towering arches, perhaps to gain a better view or, as local press speculated, to capture a dramatic photo.
But his quest for the perfect shot ended in the horrifying accident.
According to Il Messaggero, the man lost his footing while scaling the fence and was impaled through the spine by a sharpened metal spike.
Eyewitnesses rushed to call emergency services, and although paramedics arrived on scene quickly, it took them more than 20 gruelling minutes to remove the man from the spike.
‘It was a complex operation,’ one first responder told the paper. ‘He was losing a lot of blood, and we had to work with extreme caution.’
The tourist was transported in ‘code red’ condition – a designation used for life-threatening emergencies – to San Giovanni Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery.
He required more than 80 stitches, but by Friday night, doctors declared him out of immediate danger and in serious but stable condition.
The man, who had been in Rome with family and friends for several days before the accident, was later questioned by the Carabinieri police.
His travel companions were also interviewed by authorities but were unable to explain what had motivated his dangerous climb.
