Firefighters faced a complex task as the structure continued to give way as they tried to get near the trapped worker through a first-floor window, forcing their retreat on telescopic aerial ladders in a cloud of smoke.

The man was trapped for several hours after part of the Torre dei Conti, on the edge of the famous Roman Forum, gave way.

A worker was taken to hospital with serious injuries and another was trapped under rubble following the partial collapse on Monday of a medieval tower under renovation in central Rome, near the Colosseum.

Rescuers on Monday saved a worker who became trapped when the medieval tower he was helping renovate in Rome partly collapsed, city authorities said.

Firefighters worked to rescue a worker trapped for hours beneath rubble in a medieval tower that partially collapsed during renovation work in the heart of Italy’s capital Monday, critically injuring another worker.

A medieval stone tower in the heart of Rome partially collapsed on Monday, trapping construction workers under rubble.

A medieval tower in central Rome that was under renovation partially collapsed on Monday, with one worker trapped alive under rubble, authorities said.

A worker was taken to hospital with serious injuries and another was trapped under rubble following the partial collapse on Monday of a medieval tower in the heart of Italy's capital, near the famous Roman Forum ruins.