Italian prosecutors have launched a manslaughter inquiry following the death of a security guard at a Winter Olympics construction site in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Pietro Zantonini, 55, collapsed during the early hours of 8 January whilst patrolling the Olympic ice rink development in the Italian Alps.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Belluno province is examining potential “aggravating circumstances related to environmental and safety conditions” surrounding the tragedy.
Michele Grassi, director of SS Security & Bodyguard, the firm that employed Zantonini, has been identified as the principal suspect in the investigation, according to Italian newspaper Corriere delle Alpi.
An investigation has been launched after a 55-year-old man died after freezing to death
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Zantonini had commenced a 12-hour overnight shift at 7pm on 7 January, with duties requiring him to inspect the site at two-hour intervals throughout the night.
Temperatures that evening plunged to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
The guard was stationed in a small cabin equipped with a portable heater, where he remained for most of his working hours.
Shortly before 2am, he informed a colleague that he was struggling to breathe, then departed for his scheduled patrol.
When paramedics reached the scene, Zantonini had already stopped breathing. Despite attempts at resuscitation, he was pronounced dead at the location.
Pietro Zantonini, 55, collapsed during the early hours of 8 January whilst patrolling the Olympic ice rink development
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A post-mortem examination determined that an acute cardiac event caused his death.
Zantonini’s widow has lodged a formal complaint with Italian authorities, alleging that hazardous working conditions contributed to her husband’s death.
Concerns over working conditions were raised “repeatedly”, the family’s legal representative stated
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GETTYThe family’s legal representative, Francesco Dragone, stated that Zantonini had “repeatedly expressed concerns and complaints about working conditions, long night shifts, and the lack of adequate protection.”
His relatives contend that the circumstances demand rigorous judicial scrutiny and highlight broader concerns about safety standards at major event sites.
The family maintains that these issues “bring back to the forefront the issue of safety and working conditions on construction sites and in services related to major events, particularly in view of the 2026 Winter Olympics.”
Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini has demanded a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the incident, emphasising that workplace safety must take precedence over all other considerations, including the acceleration of construction projects.
“[I want to] take this opportunity to reiterate that workplace safety is a priority, and to be taken before any other aspect, including the expediting of certain projects,” the minister declared.
Cortina officials expressed that they were “deeply saddened and troubled by the death.”
Italian media reports indicate that additional inquiries will be conducted before the end of May to ascertain whether a connection exists between site conditions and Zantonini’s death, which currently remains classified as natural causes.
