Security guard Pietro Zantonini, 55, died on Jan. 8 while working on the construction site in front of the Cortina Olympic Stadium
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NEED TO KNOW
- Italian officials have opened an investigation into the death of a security guard who died while patrolling a Winter Olympics construction site last month
- Pietro Zantonini, 55, died from a heart attack on Jan. 8 while working on the construction site in front of the Cortina Olympic Stadium amid freezing temperatures
- Investigators are now looking into any potential “aggravating circumstances,” such as unsafe work and environmental conditions, that may have contributed to Zantonini’s death
Italian officials have launched a probe into the death of a security guard who died while patrolling a Winter Olympics construction site last month.
According to Italian outlet Open, the prosecutor's office in the Belluno province has opened an investigation into the death of 55-year-old Pietro Zantonini, who died on Jan. 8 while working on the construction site in front of the Cortina Olympic Stadium.
Open and newspaper L'Unione Sarda reported that Zantonini had started his shift at 7 p.m. local time on Jan. 7 and was asked to patrol the construction site until the morning.
Zantonini was staying in a nearby cabin heated by a small heater during his shift. By 2 a.m. on Jan. 8, he began feeling unwell and called a coworker, telling them that he was having difficulty breathing. Paramedics were sent to the site, but Zantonini had stopped breathing before an ambulance arrived, the outlets reported.
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An autopsy confirmed that Zantonini died from a heart attack that was brought on by the freezing temperatures, though further exams are still set to take place, Open reported.
L'Unione Sarda reported that the temperature reached a low of around 10 degrees Fahrenheit that night.
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Investigators are now looking into any potential "aggravating circumstances," such as unsafe work and environmental conditions, that may have contributed to Zantonini's death, Open reported.
The International Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Zantonini — who was from the city of Brindisi, located in southern Italy’s Apulia region — was first hired on a fixed-term contract in September 2025. He traveled to Cortina for the job, L'Unione Sarda reported, and was set to return home at the end of January.
Following his death, Zantonini's wife filed a complaint with Italian law enforcement, and prosecutor Claudio Fabris ordered that an autopsy be conducted.
Zantonini's family, including his wife and their adult son, previously said that the 55-year-old "had repeatedly expressed concerns and complaints about working conditions, long night shifts, and the lack of adequate protection," their lawyer, Francesco Dragone, told L'Unione, adding that on the night of his death, Zantonini "was working a night shift, outdoors, in particularly harsh weather conditions."
The circumstances of Zantonini's death "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," the family added.
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The family also shared that they hope the autopsy and investigation "shed full light on the incident and ensure that no workplace death is treated as a private or unavoidable event."
Simico, the government agency responsible for Olympic infrastructure, previously told Open in a statement that it did not oversee the site where Zantonini died.
Italian infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini previously told L'Unione that he was "deeply saddened by the death of the security guard," and had "requested detailed information on the incident, with particular reference to the contract and his duties."
Salvini said he wanted to "take this opportunity to reiterate that workplace safety is a priority, to be taken before any other aspect, including the expediting of certain projects," per the outlet.
The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 6 and are set to conclude on Sunday, Feb. 22.
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