Police seek 'architect'
The police yesterday requested the cooperation of the public to help them identify an architect who allegedly warned some people about the dangerous state of a building in St Paul's Bay just before it collapsed, killing two women, earlier this...
The police yesterday requested the cooperation of the public to help them identify an architect who allegedly warned some people about the dangerous state of a building in St Paul's Bay just before it collapsed, killing two women, earlier this month.
The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) said on Wednesday it had been anonymously informed by phone that an architect who happened to be near the building had warned - less than 90 minutes before the tragedy on June 3 - that it looked to be in a very dangerous state and was in imminent danger of collapsing.
The OHSA said it was not aware of the identity of the architect.
The authority's official who received the information was summoned by the inquiring magistrate to testify.
Sources close to the police told The Times they were investigating the report and wish to interview anyone who can throw some fresh light on it.
The police yesterday launched an appeal to the architect himself and to any people who know the identity of the architect to contact the Qawra police on telephone number 2157 6737 or the general police headquarters on 2122 4001 since any information could help in investigations.
The sources said that according to the OHSA the architect in question was not involved in the development next to the collapsed building in Ramon Perellos Street.
The sources said the investigations into the collapse have not yet been concluded and are temporarily suspended pending the clearing of rubble at the site.
They explained that more rubble and debris had to be removed in order to investigate to what an extent a concrete "belt", which served as the base for the collapsed building, had been damaged during trenching works in connection with the foundations of a new building.
After the collapse - which killed Mary Zarb, 60, a retired teacher, and Russian interpreter Nadya Vavilova, 24, who was having a Maltese lesson at Ms Zarb's residence - the police interrogated a Birkirkara contractor, the architect and a number of men involved in works at an adjacent plot.