The fate of ancient rock-cut tombs found earlier this month on the site of the planned new St James Hospital is still uncertain as investigations into the discovery are still at an early stage, the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage said.
The tombs were discovered during excavation works for the new hospital in Żejtun.
Eight tombs have been found and are estimated to date back to the Punic age, a span of time which lasted between roughly 600 BC and 1000 AD.
But none of the tombs discovered so far was found intact and the superintendence believes that a large part of the damage might have been done during the construction of a milk factory in the 1960s.
Superintendent Nathaniel Cutajar confirmed that the superintendence had intervened at the site but insisted that "it was too early" to comment on the find, stressing that it remained to be seen whether the tombs would be found significant enough to warrant state intervention.
He pointed out that the situation could change drastically from as early as next week, as more tombs, or a decorated tomb, could potentially be uncovered.
Mr Cutajar explained that the entire area covered by the hospital development "has been under intense archaeological investigation," carried out under the direction of the superintendence and financed by the developer.
He added that the construction works were being monitored by an archaeologist who informed the superintendence and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority of the discovery.
Saint James Group chairman Josie Muscat said the whole process was in the hands of the authorities but he views the discovery as another frustrating hurdle in the building of the hospital. He said he was tired of how the hospital development had been dragging on for eight years due to various bureaucratic stumbling blocks, adding: "I'm so fed up I don't give a fig of what's going on".
The discovery of the tombs was originally announced by the Archaeological Society of Malta in a statement urging Mepa and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage to step in and take precautions to ensure that the tombs are carefully excavated and studied.