Overview
- Two collapses about an hour apart damaged the southern buttress, parts of internal floors and the stairwell during restoration works near the Fori Imperiali.
- Octay (Octav) Stroici, 66, was trapped for roughly 10–11 hours, extracted alive by firefighters and died soon after at Policlinico Umberto I; four colleagues were injured.
- The Rome prosecutor’s office is investigating for culpable disaster, with manslaughter added after the death, and has ordered technical expertise and forensic inspections.
- Investigators are assessing multiple hypotheses, including issues with internal scaffolding or a hoist, possible design faults or delayed interventions, and environmental or seismic factors.
- The Sovrintendenza says structural tests, load trials and core sampling in 2025 certified conditions to proceed; the project under the Caput Mundi program totals about €6.9 million with an initial €400,000 tranche begun in June.