(MENAFN) Italian emergency responders successfully extracted a worker late Monday who had been trapped for several hours under debris caused by partial collapses of a medieval tower in central Rome, located within walking distance of the Colosseum.

Authorities reported that the worker’s condition was "serious," though he remained conscious when a small group of firefighters retrieved him using a telescopic aerial ladder, gently lowering him onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Rome Prefect Lamberto Giannini explained to reporters at the site that the rescue took an extended period because debris from additional collapses kept falling over the man’s body.

Three other individuals present at the Torrei dei Conti were also rescued alive by firefighters, who had promptly arrived Monday morning with three emergency teams and mobile ladder trucks.

Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli commended the entire rescue effort, calling it "exemplary."

Earlier in the day, another worker had been rescued and hospitalized in serious but not life-threatening condition, while two others sustained minor injuries.

Police had cordoned off the area near Rome’s central Via dei Fori Imperiali, which was crowded with hundreds of tourists and bystanders.

The first major collapse occurred around 11:30 am local time (1030 GMT), followed by a second roughly an hour and a half later while rescuers were already on site.

Some personnel were caught up in the second collapse, temporarily halting operations involving a mobile ladder, according to TV footage. Firefighters confirmed that no members of the rescue team were harmed.

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