The Garisenda tower in Italy's Bologna, also known as the 'leaning tower', has been steady for nearly 1,000 years. But the tallest tower in the town is now at risk of collapsing due to excessive leaning, according to reports.
The 150-foot tall tower has been leaning at an angle of 4 degrees since the 14th century when officials tried to remove the top of the building with the aim of stabilising it. The iconic Tower of Pisa leans at 5 degrees.
Over the years, Italy has done extensive work over the years to maintain the integrity of the tower.
But now the tower is leaning excessively and has forced city officials to bring into action a civil protection plan. According to CNN, the tower is at risk of a "sudden and unexpected collapse".
A metal cordon will now be put up around the tower to contain the debris and reduce the vulnerability of surrounding buildings in case of a collapse.
A protective cordon will be erected to contain debris resulting from a possible collapse, to reduce the vulnerability of surrounding buildings and the exposure to the population, as well as blocking access to the off-limits areas," the city council said in a statement.
The warning was issued by a scientific committee which has monitored the site since 2019. They have installed sensors that measure the movements of the ancient tower. The committee said that the readings in October 2023 triggered alarm bells, reports CNN.
The 'high alert' warning states that an "unexpected and accelerated trend" of "crushing compression" of the base tower has been observed. It adds that the cracks in the stones used in the base could expand to the bricks above.
As soon as the report came out, civic officials shut down the area around the tower and closed all roads leading to it.
