Tourist (47) impaled by Colosseum fence

A 47-year-old American was seriously injured on Friday when he tried to climb over a fence at the Colosseum in Rome.

The man got stuck and was impaled by the railing of the fence. Emergency services had to rescue him. According to Italian media, the tourist lost consciousness during the attempt to free him from the fence, a complicated operation that took more than 20 minutes.

The 47-year-old American who lives in Taiwan immediately underwent emergency surgery requiring more than 80 stitches. He is now out of danger.

It is not immediately clear why the man wanted to climb over the fence. It is suspected he wanted to get a closer look at or take a photo of the Colosseum.

(SR - Source: Leggo - Illustration: ©Unsplash)