Two crushed to death

Two construction workers, a Maltese and a Serb, died buried under tons of freshly laid concrete after a ceiling under construction collapsed on them as they were preparing to return home after a day's work.

The tragic accident happened at about 4.40 p.m. on a large building site in Hamrun.

Sources said the Maltese was Godwin Buhagiar, 44, of Siggiewi, who was the foreman. The Serb who resided in Guardamangia was one of a number of foreign workers engaged in the construction project. The police did not name the victims.

At least three other workers were hurt, although according to initial reports their injuries were not of a serious nature. They were given first aid on the spot by medics who arrived in ambulances.

Personnel from the Civil Protection Department, under the direction of Peter Cordina, and the Armed Forces of Malta rushed to the scene and immediately launched a rescue operation in the hope of finding the buried workers alive.

Two huge tower cranes being used in the construction project lifted steel and chunks of wood as rescue personnel dug away at the soft concrete with spades.

The first victim was spotted lifeless under the concrete at about 6.20 p.m. and the second corpse was recovered at around 7 p.m.

They were certified dead by a doctor from St Luke's Hospital and taken to the hospital mortuary in hearses.

The tragedy occurred in a section of a large block of apartments under construction in Barbara Street, in the Tar-Rabbat area close to the government housing estate. The project is by GAP Holdings, according to a board that hangs on the site.

The workers had been engaged in the laying of concrete for a new ceiling throughout the day.

One of them was heard telling people who gathered after the incident that a crackling noise had been heard coming from the steel and wood structure which serves as the shuttering on which the concrete is laid.

People who live near the site said they heard a noise as loud as thunder as the supporting structure and the heavy concrete crashed down a height of two storeys. When they looked out to see what had happened, they saw a huge cloud of dust over the construction site. A woman who witnessed the ceiling caving in started shouting for neighbours to rush to the aid of the trapped workers.

Residents said that a short while before the ceiling collapsed they noticed a number of foreign workers near the site waiting for transport to take them home after knocking off from work. Magistrate Doreen Clarke held an on-site inquiry as the search for the victims was under way, hearing evidence of workers. She is being assisted by court experts including architect Richard Aquilina and Dr Mario Scerri.

Among those who visited the site of the tragedy during the search were Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit and Opposition Leader Alfred Sant who was accompanied by Labour Party deputy leader Charles Mangion.

In a similar though less serious accident last Monday, a 57-year-old worker from Mellieha was badly injured in a fall when a flight of stairs collapsed on a building site in Triq Kepler, Qortin, limits of Mellieha.

MPs express regret

Social Development Minister Dolores Cristina and Labour MP Noel Farrugia yesterday expressed regret at the loss of life in the construction site incident.

Rising during Question Time when replying to questions by Mr Farrugia, the minister said it appeared that the construction site was privately owned, but she was sure the entire House joined her in expressing regret for the incident.

The minister said the Housing Department is conducting an exercise where it is inspecting the residences of all those who are claiming to be living in dangerous premises and are seeking alternative accommodation.

She said there were different definitions of what constituted dangerous premises but some applicants had been granted alternative accommodation and others had acquired new homes under the shared ownership scheme of the Housing Authority.

Repairs had been carried out in a number of housing units, the minister said. Other MPs also expressed their solidarity with the accident victims later in the sitting.