Rome (AFP) - A man was buried for eight hours Thursday in a tunnel he was digging with his accomplices in Rome, most likely to rob a bank.

The media office of the police stated that "two men from Naples were arrested for resisting a police officer, and two others from Rome because of the damage that occurred, one of whom was in the pit and is now in the hospital."

The media office added that "the investigation is still ongoing," and it did not rule out "that they were thieves," noting that it is "one of the hypotheses."

Dozens of firefighters worked to rescue a man who remained buried under hundreds of kilograms of earth and building materials after the tunnel collapsed, and to extricate him, according to what was observed by Agence France-Presse TV.

Media reported that police suspect the man and his accomplices, who were stopped near an empty shop they were tunneling under, were targeting a nearby bank which they planned to infiltrate over the weekend of the Assumption holiday on August 15.

The newspaper "Corriere della Sera" indicated that "the thief was stuck for nine hours in the tunnel," while "La Stampa" explained that "the goal was to enter the cellar," and "La Repubblica" headlined that "he dug a tunnel for theft, but remained buried."

Micheli, a resident of the building overlooking the collapsed part of the tunnel, told AFP, "No one really noticed because this shop was for rent, and everyone thought it was undergoing rehabilitation, in addition to the absence of noise."