This 91-year-old man has died in an accident while trying to escape his care home by lowering himself out of a window with a bedsheet he had tied around his waist.

Elderly Mario Finotti was a resident at the Opera Pia Francesco Bottoni retirement home in the municipality of Papozze in the Italian region of Veneto.

His lifeless body was found dangling from the window during a change of shift at around 6.30am on Tuesday, 18th January, according to local newspaper Corriere del Veneto.

He had tried to leave his room on the first floor by lowering himself from the window with a sheet he had tied around his waist, still according to Corriere del Veneto.

It is not clear if the cause of death has been officially confirmed, but the local newspaper reported that he may have suffered a fatal blow to the head in a pendulum-like movement against the wall of the building.

Finotti hailed from Papozze and lived there all his life.

Retirement home director Luca Avanzi told Corriere della Sera: “We are shocked by what has happened. Mario Finotti was well, he was not suffering from any degenerative pathologies. It is not known what was going through his head because, from a psychological point of view, he was peaceful. Also, last week, his niece had spoken to the psychologist via video call and a good psychological picture of the elderly man had emerged.”

It is not clear why Finotti tried to escape the residence, though Avanzi and others have given loneliness as a possible motive, given the suspension of family visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prosecutor Francesco D’Abrosca has since said that no third party is criminally liable for the incident. As such, it is not clear if the authorities are investigating.

The emergency services have since removed the body and handed it over to family members so a funeral can take place.