Rome’s Colosseum closed for a day following worker’s death
by Brad Matthews · The Washington TimesThe Colosseum in Rome was closed to visitors for the day Wednesday after a worker died on site Tuesday night.
In a statement on social media, officials from Italy’s Ministry of Culture said they stand “in solidarity” with the family of deceased worker Andrea Moretti.
Mr. Moretti, officials said, was a “specialist high-altitude rope access worker.”
The 22-year-old was working to install a lighting system when he fell about 32 feet to his death. His harness was detached from the lighting cable he was working with, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
National authorities are investigating whether manslaughter charges need to be filed.
Initially, only part of the monument grounds was going to be closed, drawing protests from the country’s largest trade union, the Italian General Confederation of Labor. Officials ultimately decided to close the whole site.
“Humanity comes before tourists,” Natale Di Cola, the union’s chief official in Rome, said, according to Reuters.
In her own statement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, “I would like to express my condolences and my closeness to his family, his loved ones, and his colleagues at this very difficult time. … Dying at 22 is unacceptable, even more so if it happens in the workplace. In Andrea’s name, too, we will continue to do our part, to commit ourselves, and to make every effort to ensure that similar tragedies never happen again.”
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Brad Matthews
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