Colosseum closed after technician dies in fall
A 22-year-old worker fell while carrying out work on the lighting of the monument in Rome.
The Colosseum in Rome was closed on Wednesday after a technician died during work. According to Italian sources, the man fell at night from a height of about ten metres.
According to news agency ANSA, the victim was a 22-year-old worker who specialised in rope-access techniques for working at height. He was working on the installation of a new lighting system in the Flavian amphitheatre. The fall took place around midnight. Emergency responders from Ares 118 tried to resuscitate him, but without success.
Italy’s Ministry of Culture confirmed the closure of the monument. The Parco archeologico del Colosseo took the decision after consulting minister Alessandro Giuli. The closure only came into effect after the first visitors had left the site. According to the ministry, an abrupt closure could have caused a dangerous concentration of people outside the entrance gates.
ANSA reported that at least the second ring, where the accident took place, was closed to visitors that day. In its own statement, the ministry referred to the closure of the Colosseum as a whole. The precise scope and duration of the closure therefore point to a measure for 23 September, rather than a prolonged closure.
The circumstances of the accident are being investigated by the Italian authorities. Those present at the site included carabinieri, a forensic doctor, the public prosecutor, labour inspectors and the regional occupational safety service. According to ANSA, an investigation into unknown persons is under way over possible manslaughter through negligence, and an autopsy has been ordered.
The work took place at a monument that receives thousands of visitors every day. This brings two safety questions together: protecting visitors and ensuring the safety of people carrying out maintenance work in a vulnerable historic structure. The initial reports do not yet show whether safety regulations were breached.
The closure is therefore primarily a measure of mourning and safety, not a judgement on the cause of the fall. Before conclusions can be drawn, the Italian authorities will have to reconstruct the working method, the equipment used and the responsibilities of the companies involved.
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The factual core has been confirmed by Italy’s Ministry of Culture and ANSA. Differences over a full or partial closure are explicitly noted and have not been smoothed over.
- confirmed A 22-year-old technician died after falling at the Colosseum. — ANSA gives the age, location and fatal fall. source
- confirmed The worker was working on a new lighting system. — ANSA describes the work on the lighting. source
- confirmed The fall took place from a height of about ten metres. — ANSA reports a fall of about ten metres. source
- confirmed The ministry decided to close the Colosseum after the first group of visitors had left. — This is stated in the ministry’s official communiqué. source
- confirmed The authorities are investigating the accident and an autopsy has been ordered. — ANSA reports the investigation and autopsy. source
- confirmed It has not yet been established whether safety regulations were breached. — The sources report an ongoing investigation without established responsibility. source
Editor's note
The technician’s death, the fall during lighting work and the closure were confirmed by Italian sources. The precise cause of the accident and the eventual extent of the closure were still under investigation.Sources
- Morte operaio, PArCo: disposta la chiusura del Colosseo in segno di lutto — Ministero della Cultura
- Worker dies falling from Colosseum — ANSA
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „colosseum rome”
- De Telegraaf — „colosseum rome”
- AD — „colosseum rome”