Rome's Constantine Arch near the Colosseum damaged after thunderstorm in Italy tourist hotspot

The Constantine Arch, or the Arch of Constantine, was hit by lightning during a thunderstorm in the Italian capital on Tuesday (September 3). The famous landmark is located next to the world-famous Colosseum.

Fragments from the arch were immediately collected and secured by workers at the Colosseum Archaeological Park. Officials are currently examining the extend of the damage to the historical structure.

In a statement, the park said: “The recovery work by technicians was timely. Our workers arrived immediately after the lightning strike. All of the fragments were recovered and secured.”

A tourist near to the site told Reuters: "A lightning strike hit the arch right here and then hit the corner and we saw this [large block of stone] fly off.” 

The freak thunderstorm that swept through Italy was particularly powerful, felling trees and flooding streets in its wake. Its power was compared to that of the storm that caused the luxury yacht to sink off the coast of Sicily last month, with Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri adding: "The event that hit Rome is truly unprecedented, because it was so powerful and concentrated in a very short time and in some areas of the city, starting from the historic center.”