Gozo tragedy: Husband says he tried to grab wife as she fell

Michael Vella

Jun 5th 2009, 22:01

A Sad & Tragic Accident...RIP

Charlie Tabone

Jun 5th 2009, 15:47

yes we need more secure places especially where most of our families spend their spare time during weekends.These danderous places want to take care of them our local councils.

John Azzopardi

Jun 5th 2009, 11:29

Tragedies happen and not much can be done about them. Except maybe place some signs. Other than that, adults like children needs to be very careful of their surroundings.

Joe Xuereb

Jun 5th 2009, 10:36

Thanks R. Azzopardi. Thanks for conceding that 'I might be right'. Come on man(?), this is common sense. This is living, and also sleeping, with eyes wide open. I like to think that even I have my uses. Give advice, even if unsolicited for once, and it might just prevent an accident. Or a sad loss of life. (As an aside - like a policeman, once a social worker, always a social worker. I am retired now and do not travel much any more because of arthritis, etc.).
Thanks again.

Neal Borg

Jun 4th 2009, 20:20

@Shawn and Aimee. I do not think it should be railings, still terribly unsafe. Why not a fence with barbed wire all along the cliff? This should obviously be done all along the southern coast of Malta, from Fomm ir-Rih till the Ghar Hasan area, possibly around Ahrax tal-Mellieha and all around Gozo too. Perhaps we should also fence the whole perimeter too, maybe 100m out into the sea, to prevent any monster sharks from attacking.

justin borg

Jun 4th 2009, 17:33

@aimee fenech, c. camilleri & others
Wied Mielah is going to be upgraded & cleaned up. The sewage plant there is going to be re-directed. This will make the valley more picturesque and enjoyable so most probably it will be visited more. Railings have definitely been suggested but were refused by MEPA because they would give a false sense of security.

Paul Bonnici

Jun 4th 2009, 16:47

I am deeply moved by the accident and loss of life. Such tragic accidents happen constantly near cliffs in the UK, yet the British government did not erect railings, that would spoil the environment.

Stephen Mifsud

Jun 4th 2009, 16:13

i remember when i was about 12 years old (1965)my parents and freinds went to Dingli cliffs for a sunday outing and i witnessed a bunch of teenagers horseplaying close to the edge and one of them fell(250 meters) in and he survived the fall and he was picked up by a fisherman in the area at the time, what a miracle he survived and lived to talk about it on the news that same night ...so i guess the moral of this story is " if you live life on the edge " you just might fall for the sake of adventure .......live simple ,live happy ,and laugh often...

nevil debattista

Jun 4th 2009, 14:50

This well taken photo ( please try to ignore the 2 policemen and the bike ) reminds me of that pulsating and tragical end-scene of the film ' Last of the Mohicans " . Picturesque beauty but not that suitable for biking you will all agree. Having said that however I will not hesitate to admit that I would not miss the opportunity of biking along some cliff if a chance came by. Some people will cherish the thought of spending their life watching TV at home on the sofa or reading a book on some deckchair. Others just won't stand still and will grab each and every opportunity which may give them the thrill. But then if things go wrong nobody is to blame for it. The idea of putting railings around each and every cliff in Malta is farcical to say the least .

David Meilak

Jun 4th 2009, 14:39

Regarding railings........maybe someone in charge of the Grand Canyon or Niagra Falls may be visiting this site and decide on putting railings all around these world wonders........and maybe they can also blame Obama or Bush for not installing these railings in the past?

Makes one think........

MG Buttigieg

Jun 4th 2009, 12:39

Who says that bill boards are there only for elections. A clear proximate reminder of the dangers goes a long way to prevent such accidents. Are they put up near beaches?! And they do not be so large as those we come up against on our raods!!

R. Azzopardi

Jun 4th 2009, 12:23

@Joe Xuereb

This is a really interesting observation and I think you may be quite right. I too have a nasty habit of throwing caution to the wind when I am on holiday.

To take another case in point, look at the diving fatality statistics. Most of the people who died while diving in recent years were foreigners (i'm talking about scuba diving not skin diving). I am sure that they were given the same level of training that Maltese divers are given (I should know.... I am a diver myself). What could the cause be? Too much to drink the night before? Too much of the "i'm on holiday so who cares?" approach?

All in all, your argument really holds water. I had never heard it before and it has answered a number of questions.

R. Gatt

Jun 4th 2009, 12:17

@ Aimee Fenech & Shawn Grech - As much as I feel wholeheartedly for what happended to this couple, your comment about railings is not acceptable. Are you honestly suggesting that we should put railings around all our cliffs? Do we always have to find a culprit (the govt.) when a tragedy occurs. Would you make the same comment to the Dover Council re: the white cliffs?
@ Galea L - You say that your comments are not politically motivated and yet, the govt. does nothing good in your eyes. At xatt ir-risq, one accident happened because the car had no brakes so it roled all the way into the sea, and the other accident happened because going up a steep ramp, one could not know that he would be close to the edge since there were no warning signs. You'll probably blame Gonzipn next!

Rafel Sammut

Jun 4th 2009, 10:21

@ Aimee Fenech

So many tourists come to malta each year just because of Mlata's beatiful natural features and landforms! If we had to put railings we will only make the place look ugly and interfered with! The bit of fields and greenery malta had has all disappeared, lets not ruin our coast too now ! RIP

Joe Xuereb

Jun 4th 2009, 10:10

It is often said that people on holiday in a foreign land are at their most vulnerable. They believe that because they paid good money for their break, they are away from the stress and drudgery of home, they believe and act like the holiday destination is a play-pen. It is not. One must see holiday abroad as akin to negotiating difficult, unfamiliar terrain at night. Total relaxation to the point of blindness at home would never be considered. Why consider it as fine just because in a holiday location. I am sorry for this tragedy.
Children need to be minded becuse they are - children! Cafe` Premier, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Dingli cliffs, it makes no difference. If anything, the usual design of railings is like an open invitation to crawl under. It is what kids do. So keep an eye on them. That is why you have children. Surely.

R. Azzopardi

Jun 4th 2009, 09:54

@Karl Abela

Well said!

Everything in life has a certain amount of risk. Some thrill seekers like living on the edge. If one prefers to be totally risk free, watching tv is a safer hobby. this was just a very unfortunate accident. Nobody is to blame for it.

Galea. L

Jun 3rd 2009, 22:08

Seeing the bikes doesn't mean that they were riding their bikes there or that the bikes are theirs.
As regards railings or other measures this is not a political decision or attacking those responsible to make every place safe and anyone who thinks that by asking or suggesting that the government take measures to prevent accidents are being very politically sensitive to valid criticism needlessly.
I would like to bring to your attention that the Authorities have been found guilty of not taking the necessary measures to prevent the accidental deaths at Xatt ir-Risq when vehicles twice fell into the sea and people drowned.
I know that as said by M Debono people would try to overcome such preventive measures, but then it will certainly be their fault and the authorities cannot be held responsible.
However no one can say that the authorities are doing all they can for health and safety considering the number of accidents that have been occurring on a daily basis such as cranes toppling over etc.

charlesvella

Jun 3rd 2009, 21:30

Regarding this accident railing should be made between cirkewwa and Marfa main road pavement on the way to the ferry most of people go for walks and it is very dangerous. i personally picked an English tourist who fell he was staying in the hotel at Marfa .

Deirdre Farrugia

Jun 3rd 2009, 20:13

What a nightmare..... how really, really tragic.

Yes in Malta everything has to be turned into a political debate / attack, how pathetic.

M Debono

Jun 3rd 2009, 18:53

Even if there would be railings...some people would go as far as sitting on them!!! One can never be safe enough.

T. Pulis

Jun 3rd 2009, 16:20

Lil Michael Tanti

ghandek punt vera; ghax mhux qed nitkellmu fuq medda zghira t'art imma ma nahsibx li hu suggeriment daqshekk hazin sa barra. Fi zmien il-gwerra Malta kollha ddawret biex nevitaw invazjoni. Tghdili x'ghandu x'jaqsam! Vera! imma jekk insibu ftit zoni li huma kemmxejn perikoluzi u nnaqsu l-periklu minnhom ma nahsibx li hi xi haga ta' barra minn hawn. Immagina Had-Dingli allahares qatt jizgiccalek tifel jew tifla. Allahares qatt dejjem!

Il-kumplament tal-jum it-tajjeb

michael tanti

Jun 3rd 2009, 15:21

issa ndawru Malta u GHawdex kollha railings !!! ......f kollox nifmu ahna !!....its just a tragic accident .... rip

F Spiteri

Jun 3rd 2009, 15:00

Shawn Grech.......hello ??? Have you bothered looking closely at the picture to realize this is a cliff ?? What the heck does the government have to do with this ? These things happen worldwide. Only yesterday i read of a couple committing suicide by jumping off the cliffs somewhere in the UK.

c camilleri

Jun 3rd 2009, 15:00

Please let us not be silly. We can't surround the whole islands with railings... As can be clearly seen from the picture, that isn't a place where people go for a walk... more so with bikes. It's common sense that one shouldn't go to cliff edges. Even if you don't loose balance, what happens if you faint for example?

Shawn Grech

Jun 3rd 2009, 14:19

This is a terrible tragedy and unless the government will something to make Gozo safer there many be more. First of all roads in Gozo are a total disaster and then there are a lot of cliffs where there should be some kind of railings as protection.

Aimee Fenech

Jun 3rd 2009, 14:17

Why aren't there any railings?

Rachel Spiteri

Jun 3rd 2009, 10:35

Horrible tragedy... so sorry... rip