A lonely Italian pensioner tried to escape the care home in which he was living by using bedsheets and blankets to lower himself from his window but died in the attempt.

Mario Finotti, 91, is thought to have slipped in the attempt to escape the care home, becoming caught up in the tied-together sheets and suffocating to death.

He had tied the sheets around his waist and the drop in height is thought to have collapsed his lungs.

The tragic case underlined the loneliness experienced by many elderly people in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Finotti, who had no children, had been living in the home for about a year.

His body was found by care home staff around dawn on Tuesday, during a change in shifts at the elderly people’s home in the town of Papozze in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

Staff speculated that it was loneliness and a longing for home that prompted his attempted escape, reminiscent of prisoners using sheets to flee jail.

“Mario was in good health, he was not suffering from any degenerative diseases. We don’t know what went through his head because he seemed to be calm psychologically,” said Luca Avanzi, the director of the care facility.

The escape attempt may have been prompted by a recent ban on visits by friends and relatives, as Italy struggles to deal with the fourth wave of the pandemic, recording around 200,000 new cases a day.

Mr Finotti had only been able to speak to his nephews and nieces by telephone for the last three weeks.

“The loneliness experienced by elderly people who find themselves a long way from home and from their relatives could be relevant in this case,” said Mr Avanzi.

“Nurses and staff cannot take the place of family. Mario had a sunny personality. But his age and the start of cognitive failings may have contributed to this sad episode.”

Italy reported nearly 189,000 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, down from 192,000 the day before.