Two presumed dead in powerful blast

A man and a woman are presumed dead, buried under tons of rubble, following a fireworks explosion which demolished three houses in Triq Ħal Dgħejf, Naxxar yesterday morning.

They are Sina Sammut, 33, mother of a nine-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, and Pawlu Camilleri, 47 who, according to the police, was inside the garage where the explosion occurred just before 11 a.m.

The police suspect fireworks were being manufactured illegally in the garage, sources added.

The demolished block consisted of the garage, forming part of Mr Camilleri's own residence, and two houses, one each side.

During investigations, the police and the Armed Forces of Malta found three garages - believed to have been the property of Mr Camilleri - packed with petards and other fireworks.

One of the garages, where petards were found, is located across the street from where the explosion occurred and the other two are about 100 metres away.

The petards and explosive material were removed from the garages by the AFM's Bomb Disposal Unit and taken to the unit's explosives depot in Mosta in the afternoon as the police, the AFM and the Civil Protection Department conducted an operation to recover the missing persons from the rubble continued.

Three other women were injured but their condition is not serious. One of them was hit in the face by flying glass. Residents of Triq Ħal Dgħejf, which lies parallel to Vjal il-21 ta' Settembru, said they were rocked by a huge blast which caused fissures in houses and sent shattered glass flying. Those living close to the demolished houses were evacuated.

A pick-up van parked in front of the garage where the explosion occurred was blown to the other side of the road and caught fire. A house opposite the disaster site also caught fire.

Personnel from the Civil Protection Department's fire fighting team battled with the fire for most of the day. Smoke continued to billow out of the site throughout the day as rescuers began removing debris carefully in an effort to recover the two victims.

A crane and other mechanical equipment was used in the operation. Charlotte Borg, who lives across the road further down from the site of the explosion, said she had been speaking to Mrs Sammut earlier in the morning. Mrs Sammut had taken her two children to school and then went shopping. Some moments later, Mrs Borg added, she was in the bathroom when an explosion shook her house. She was thrown against the wall by the blast. She then heard two smaller explosions in quick succession.

Mrs Borg went outdoors and witnessed the devastation and people running about in panic. Her house also developed cracks.

Another neighbour said that when Mrs Sammut returned home she was with her father who walked on as she opened the door to her house and went in. The blast occurred some minutes later.

Neighbours said Mr Camilleri's wife was outside the house but a considerable distance away with their son at the time.

There were anxious moments after the blast as no one knew whether there were any more people in the demolished houses. The situation became clearer after it was established that apart from the two persons buried under the rubble, the rest were accounted for. This was established through police enquiries with neighbours.

At one point, a young woman with tears in her eyes and trembling walked up to the police barrier and pleaded to go to her house close to the devastated site where she had left her dog before going out to work. She was later seen coming out with her dog on a leash.

Vjal il-21 ta' Settembru was closed to traffic and the police had a hard task controlling the large crowd which went to enquire about relatives or simply to see what had happened.

As the evening neared and there was no sign of the victims, tension rose among members of the Sammut family who are building contractors. Irritation was evident among relatives who were heard saying their offer of a Hi-Mac earlier in an effort to speed up the recovery operation had not been heeded.

Among those who visited the site were President Eddie Fenech Adami, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg, former Health Minister Louis Deguara, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca.

Also on site were MPs Michael Farrugia and Anġlu Farrugia. Police Commissioner John Rizzo and Civil Protection Department director Peter Cordina headed the rescue operation.

Magistrate Miriam Hayman has opened an inquiry.

Alternattiva Demokratika said it was shocked at the news of the explosion in Naxxar and expressed solidarity with the victims' families.

Although one cannot comment on the tragedy before facts are clear, the need for strict control of explosive material in all circumstances has long been clear, it said.

The government will have the full support of AD in a careful revision of existing laws and practices and in enforcing the very strictest control.

"It is time for everybody in politics to join together in a zero tolerance policy and to eliminate any laxity of any kind in securing the safety of the public," AD chairman Harry Vassallo said.