Colosseum Closes to Public After Fatal Fall

Visitors arriving at the Colosseum on Wednesday found its gates unexpectedly shut. Italy's Culture Ministry says the ancient Roman arena was closed for the day to mourn 22-year-old technician Andrea Moretti, who fell more than 30 feet to his death while working overnight, CNN reports. Moretti, who specialized in working at altitude on ropes, fell while installing cabling for a new illumination system, reports the AP. "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the tragic death of Andrea Moretti," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. "Dying at the age of 22 is unacceptable—even more so when it happens in the workplace."

Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli offered condolences to Moretti's family over "the senseless death of a young man engaged in work." This was the first time, apart from closures for Christmas Day and New Year's Day, that the landmark has been closed to the public since the COVID lockdowns of 2020, CNN reports. Officials initially only planned to close the Colosseum's upper tier on Wednesday, but the closure was extended to the entire building after the CGIL, Italy's biggest union, protested, reports Reuters. "Humanity comes before tourists," said Natale di Cola, the union's Rome chief.