TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A female Taiwanese tourist was struck by falling masonry in the Vatican on Sunday but did not sustain serious injuries. 

The tourist, Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was visiting St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City with a tour group when she was struck by a small shard of falling masonry from the dome, per CNA. Fu Jing (傅瀞), a Taiwanese tour guide based in Rome who was at the scene, told the news agency that the church was extremely crowded at the time. 

As the Taiwanese tour group was viewing the Pieta statue, Hsu was struck by a falling fragment from the dome. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but she was not seriously injured and was able to continue the tour after a medical evaluation.

Matthew S.M. Lee (李世明), the outgoing Taiwanese ambassador to the Holy See, was informed of the incident Sunday. He made a special trip to meet the tour group at the Trevi Fountain and gave Hsu a red envelope as a gesture of concern.

The tour group leader, Wang Chih-hung (王執宏), told CNA that members are scheduled to fly back to Taiwan from Rome Monday.

This is not the first time a falling masonry incident has occurred at St. Peter’s Basilica. According to Italian media reports, in March 2018, several pieces also fell near the Pieta statue inside the church, though no visitors were injured at the time.