Man arrested over fireworks

The police have arrested a 38-year-old man from Naxxar following the discovery of materials used for fireworks at a farmhouse in Triq Santa Maria near the former trade fair grounds in Naxxar, yesterday.

The discovery followed an anonymous tip to the police in the wake of Wednesday's explosion also in Naxxar which demolished three houses and killed two people, including the man who was suspected to have been manufacturing fireworks in a garage next door to the demolished houses.

Personnel from the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) yesterday went to the farmhouse to transfer the fireworks to their base at Manoel Island where they will be disposed of. The police said that, since Wednesday, they have received a number of calls relating to the illegal manufacture of fireworks. All calls were investigated and inspections were carried out in various areas.

The police are appealing to anyone with information on such illegal activities to call 119.

Meanwhile, the body of mother-of-two Sina Sammut, 33, who was at home in Triq Ħal Dgħejf at the time of the devastating explosion, was found by rescuers from the Civil Protection Department (CPD) yesterday at about 5.30 a.m. Mrs Sammut, who had taken her son and daughter to school and who had then gone shopping, had just entered her house when the blast occurred.

Sources close to the CPD said the woman was found under rubble in her kitchen.

Paul Camilleri, 47, is suspected to have been manufacturing fireworks inside the garage that formed part of the demolished block. Body parts were found on Wednesday in the street.

The search for his body, which went on through the night under searchlight, was still going on yesterday but has been complicated by the fear that unexploded fireworks might still be lying under the tons of broken masonry.

Apart from demolishing the garage and residence belonging to Mr Camilleri, the blast completely destroyed two houses, one on either side. One was the residence where Mrs Sammut lost her life and the other belonged to a family by the name of Bugeja.

At first it was thought there was no one in the Bugeja house at the time of the blast but 15-year-old Rachel was in fact sleeping on the first floor.

Her mother Vicky was at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception School in Ħamrun attending parents' day of Rachel's sister Sera, nine. Her father, Edward, was at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology where he works.

A delegation from the college led by Paul Attard, chairman of the Board of Governors, met Mr Bugeja and his family on site yesterday to express their solidarity.

Recounting her ordeal, Rachel said she was rudely jolted by a huge noise and everything came crashing down.

"Still in my bed and dazed by the blast, I realised that a wardrobe had fallen on the bed and shielded me from the falling stonework. I did not know what was happening and felt like I was having a bad dream," she said.

"It was difficult to move and I could not see anything because of the thick smoke, but somehow I managed to squeeze out from under the wardrobe and step down on mounds of smouldering rubble until I reached the street.

"When I recovered my senses, all I could hear was shouting and crying," she recalled.

Rachel, who will be sitting for her 'O' level examinations next month, was treated for shock and smoke inhalation at the Naxxar health clinic.

Neighbours including Mr and Mrs Bugeja said they did not have any inkling that someone might have been manufacturing fireworks so close to their home. They had been living there for 17 years. Mr Camilleri was known to neighbours as secretive and reserved.

Asked if they had ever received any reports about the manufacture of fireworks in Triq Ħal Dgħejf, the police said no reports had been received at the Naxxar police station.

The explosion was followed by a fire which engulfed and extensively damaged another house across the street.

The house is the property of Charles and Bernadette Bellia who were out when the blast occurred. Two cars which were inside their garage were burnt.

After the explosion three women were taken to Mater Dei Hospital. They were Maria Camilleri, 44, wife of Mr Camilleri who, neighbours said, was in her backyard when the explosion occurred and managed to run away. Police described her injuries as serious but she is not in a critical condition.

A 35-year-old woman from Mellieħa was discharged from hospital after she was treated for shock and a 61-year-old woman from Naxxar suffered only slight injuries.

Three other garages believed to be owned by Mr Camilleri were found packed with fireworks in the immediate vicinity.

One of them, situated across the street from the explosion site, was discovered by Civil Protection director Peter Cordina.

Petards, explosives and other material used in the making of fireworks were removed from the garages by the AFM as police continue to investigate the tragic incident.