A Japanese tourist has died after falling from the outer wall of the Pantheon in Rome, one of the city’s most visited landmarks. The man, named by Italian media as 69-year-old Morimasa Hibino, was sitting on the perimeter wall on Friday evening when he lost his balance and plunged around seven metres into the moat surrounding the ancient structure.
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 10pm local time. Firefighters were forced to break open a gate on Via della Palombella in order to reach the man, who was found lying in the ditch below. Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. A priest passing by is understood to have raised the alarm after spotting the man’s body.
Police in Rome have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the fall. According to reports in the Italian press, Hibino had been visiting the city with his daughter. She told officers that her father had suddenly fallen ill, which may have caused him to lose his balance while seated on the wall. Surveillance footage from the area is being examined as part of the inquiry.
The wall outside the Pantheon is a popular resting spot for tourists, often crowded with visitors taking a break from sightseeing in the bustling Piazza della Rotonda. The tragedy has renewed concerns about safety at some of Rome’s most frequented monuments, where large numbers of visitors gather daily.
The Pantheon, originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD, is one of the best-preserved structures of ancient Rome. Its vast dome, with the famous central oculus open to the sky, has long been an architectural marvel and a symbol of the city. The site attracts millions of visitors each year. Until 2023, entrance was free, but the introduction of a €5 ticketing system has done little to deter crowds. More than four million people visited the monument in 2024, with long queues regularly forming outside.
This is not the first fatal incident involving tourists in Rome this year. In March, a 55-year-old Spanish woman died after falling from a high wall near the Spanish Steps. The following month, Grant Paterson, a 54-year-old tourist from Scotland, was killed in a suspected gas explosion at a rented apartment in the city. Paterson had been on a solo trip, visiting major attractions including the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Pantheon itself, only days before the accident.
Rome has experienced a surge in visitor numbers since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, with a record 22.2 million arrivals recorded in 2024. While the influx has been welcomed by the tourism industry, it has also placed pressure on the city’s infrastructure and raised questions about safety measures at its most iconic sites.
The death of Mr Hibino has cast a shadow over the Pantheon, a monument that has stood for nearly two millennia and continues to draw vast numbers of people from around the world. Authorities are expected to review security arrangements around the site as investigations continue.
