Moroccan worker, 30, crushed to death at Florence rail site as brother pleads to bring him home
Ahmed learned that his younger brother had died at a railway construction site in Florence. Ayoub, a Moroccan worker who was about to turn 31, was crushed by a metal beam. A father of one, he leaves behind a devastated family, including his parents, who still live in Morocco.
“I want to see him, I want to see him!” Ahmed pleads with those present to let him approach the truck. His younger brother Ayoub has just died, crushed by a heavy metal beam at the construction site of Florence’s future high-speed railway station. They stop him from moving closer. “Help me bring my brother home,” he cries out in despair, according to an account reported by La Repubblica.
Ahmed was at work at a company in the Osmannoro industrial area when he learned of the tragedy on Thursday, 15 October. His employer drove him to the construction site. “He’s dead, I can’t believe it. Why my dear brother? Why him?” he repeated through tears, La Nazione reports.
Another ordeal awaited him: telling their family in Morocco. Their parents, brother and sister still live there. Ahmed found the strength to call them and tell them that Ayoub had died, just days before his 31st birthday.
The young Moroccan was also a father. He had been living in Italy for several years and worked as a crane operator for the Florentia consortium, which is carrying out work on Foster station. His colleagues describe him as a quiet, well-liked and skilled man who knew his job and spoke fluent Italian. Two of his cousins also worked at the site.
A heavy beam slips, leaving Ayoub no chance
The accident happened at around 3 p.m. According to initial findings, Ayoub was helping load metal beams onto a truck. He is believed to have climbed onto the trailer to free beams that had become stuck when one, already placed on the vehicle, suddenly slid sideways. It struck him in the head and chest. Emergency responders could do nothing.
The Florence prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into manslaughter. Prosecutor Alessandro Moffa has ordered an autopsy for 20 October. Investigators are trying to establish why Ayoub was on the trailer and whether the safety instructions were appropriate for the operation. The crane and truck have been seized, ANSA reports.
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Ayoub’s death deeply shook his colleagues. Some who witnessed the accident had to receive care for shock. The Filca-Cisl union, of which the young worker was a member, was also asked to provide psychological support to employees at the construction site.
The CGIL, CISL and UIL unions have called a one-hour strike in the construction sector on Monday, 19 October, from 11 a.m. to noon. A gathering is planned outside the Foster station construction site in Florence. “It is time to put an end to this carnage. Concrete action, rigorous inspections and working conditions that put people’s lives and health at the centre are needed,” they said in a statement published on Saturday.