Parked car crushed by falling balcony

A stone balcony came crashing down onto a parked car in Main Gate Street, Victoria, due to heavy rainfall yesterday.

Witnesses said the incident, in which no one was injured, happened at around 10.30 a.m. when the second floor balcony gave way. It fell onto the balcony beneath it before falling on the car, a Toyota Auris, in a shower of concrete and stone.

The Toyota was badly damaged. The balcony's base came down on the roof, distorting the metal framework and dislodging the windscreen while loose stonework crushed the bonnet and bumper.

Fortunately, no one was in the car at the time, or walking beneath the scaffolding.

Two other Renault cars that were driving past the building at the time of the incident were damaged in a spray of debris.

Sources said that although it was initially thought the balcony collapsed after being struck by a bolt of lightning, it emerged that it had given way under the heavy rains as no scalding was found on the stonework.

The police were on site within minutes and firemen were called to clean up the debris. Technicians were also on the spot to inspect the damaged electricity and telephone cables attached to the building's façade and disconnected by the falling stonework.

More showers are expected for the remainder of the week with a brief pause of cloudy weather tomorrow. The Meteorological Office said a ridge of high pressure from Russia to Northern Algeria will persist as a weak low pressure forms over the Gulf of Sirte. Although no warnings have been issued, the wind may become rather strong at times.

Slippery roads yesterday caused a car to crash into a tree in Rabat, while two were involved in an accident on the Birkirkara Bypass. The driver of the first accident and one of the drivers of the second were hospitalised for slight injuries.

Numerous other minor traffic accidents were also reported to the authorities.