The pair, who are now in the Santo Spirito hospital, were injured when the plane tree (genus name ‘Platanus’) collapsed for unknown reasons in Lungotevere Tor di Nona. The fallen tree also damaged 10 parked cars.
Firefighters attended the site, along with technicians of the garden service of the municipality of Rome who were tasked with cutting the fallen tree into pieces for disposal and to allow safe access for rescue workers.
Police also closed the stretch of road affected by the collapse, while elsewhere there were more than 30 interventions carried out by the firefighters for branches and trees fallen on Rome’s streets on Tuesday alone.
Rome is still sweltering in a heatwave and has not suffered the tree-felling gales of the north of Italy.
Flavia De Gregorio, Capitoline group leader of progressive party Azione, said it was simply not good enough that ‘yet another tree’ had fallen in the centre of Rome.
“The situation is increasingly alarming and the mayor does not seem to care,” she told reporters.
“How long do we have to wait before we understand that there is an emergency linked to greenery?
“We need to immediately put in place a taskforce with personnel who provide care and maintenance of the trees in our city.
“Maintenance activities must be planned with the utmost care, but also the replanting of specimens that are cut down and those that fall because they are sick.
“We can no longer afford to waste any more time,” she said.
ANSA
