The rescue took place on Thursday evening and was met with an emotional round of applause from onlookers, as seen in a video posted by Italy's fire service on social media platform X.
È viva‼️Estratta dalle macerie e affidata ai sanitari la donna dispersa. Eccezionale intervento dei #vigilidelfuoco a #Bari, emozionante l’applauso finale liberatorio della gente pic.twitter.com/L7QTPErHGu
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) March 6, 2025
Rosalia De Giosa, 74, had been missing since Wednesday afternoon following the collapse of a residential building on Via de Amicis, just south of the city’s train station.
The building was evacuated by local authorities in February last year after being deemed structurally unsafe due to a damaged central pillar.
Italian media reports said the woman had defied the evacuation order and continued to live in her fourth-floor apartment.
Following the rescue, emergency medical personnel immediately assessed De Giosa’s condition before transporting her to the local hospital for further treatment.
The Bari fire service said De Giosa “appears to be in good health”, according to news agency Ansa.
"She was found inside the building, in the area of the stairs,” Bari fire service commander Rosa D'Eliseo said.
"She was taking the stairs to get out [of the building]; evidently, she sensed the danger and was running away," she added.
A passerby who witnessed the collapse told Rai News that it was "a scary, apocalyptic scene", with "dust everywhere [and] people screaming, running in every direction".
D'Eliseo said the collapse was caused by structural failure.
“A part [of the building] collapsed first, which then brought down the rest," she said.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bari opened an investigation into the incident on Thursday, according to Ansa.
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