ROME (AP) — On Monday, firefighters in Italy’s capital were engaged in a rescue mission to save a worker trapped beneath the remnants of a medieval tower. The structure partially collapsed during renovation, also leaving another worker with critical injuries.

The rescue operation was complicated by the unstable condition of the tower, which continued to crumble. Firefighters initially attempted to reach the trapped worker via a first-floor window but were forced to retreat due to falling debris. They utilized telescopic aerial ladders amidst clouds of smoke, and when those efforts failed, they abandoned a second attempt using two ladders, opting instead to deploy a drone for better assessment.

As daylight waned, the rescue team employed a crane to maneuver giant tubes, clearing debris from a second-floor window to gain access to the trapped individual.

According to Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the fire department, three workers were successfully rescued without injury following the tower’s collapse around midday. Reports indicate a 64-year-old worker was hospitalized in critical condition, though no new updates on his status were available. Importantly, no injuries were reported among the firefighters involved in the rescue efforts.

Lamberto Giannini, Rome’s chief law enforcement officer, confirmed that “signs of life” were detected from the worker still trapped. Firefighters managed to provide him with some protective cover during an earlier attempt to reach him.

Giannini called the situation “very complex” and said that other equipment was being brought in.

“It will be a very long operation. We must try to save this person while mitigating the enormous risks to the people who are trying to save him,” Giannini told reporters.

Hundreds of tourists had assembled to watch as firefighters used a mobile ladder to bring a stretcher to the upper level of the Torre dei Conti during the first rescue attempt. Suddenly, another part of the structure partially collapsed, sending up a cloud of debris and forcing firefighters to quickly descend on the ladder.

Queen Paglinawan was working in a nearby gelato parlor when she heard the two loud noises from the town in quick succession.

“I was working and then I heard something falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way,” Paglinawan, 27, said as yet another collapse occurred in the background.

German student Viktoria Braeu passed by the scene just as the partial collapse during the firefighters’ rescue occurred.

“We were just at the Colosseum … and we were just walking to get some food. … And then we were like, ‘It’s probably not long until it’s going to go down,’ and then it just started erupting,” said Braeu, 18.

The Torre dei Conti was built in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III as a residence for his family. The tower was damaged in a 1349 earthquake and suffered subsequent collapses in the 17th century.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli were at the scene, but did not speak to reporters.

“The firefighters risked their lives with the second collapse. We are worried for the worker who remains trapped,” said Federico Mollicone, chairman of the parliamentary culture committee.