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

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

Another approach on two ladders was also aborted and a drone sent up in their stead.

As dusk approached, firefighters lifted on a crane used giant tubes to suck rubble out of the second-floor window.

They continued the work into the night.

The 29-metre-high Torre dei Conti stands near one of Rome's tourist hotspots.

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