Seabank Hotel owner Silvio Debono is struggling to understand why a nightclub under construction at his complex collapsed on Tuesday, killing a Latvian man whose body was recovered yesterday after an 18-hour search.

People must know what went wrong but it is unfair to condemn anyone before the investigation is concluded

Maksims Artamonovs, 27, originally from Riga, was dismantling scaffolding in the car park underneath the nightclub when the whole structure collapsed, probably killing him instantly.

“This is a big shock. A man has died. We will all carry this wound for the rest of our lives,” Mr Debono said at his makeshift office underneath the hotel in Mellieħa, which is currently undergoing a major renovation.

“The concrete works had been finished since January and the wooden structure was placed on top about five weeks ago,” he said, facing a framed artist impression of the finished project, which is estimated to cost about €20 million.

“I was assured that the work was being done as it should, 100 per cent. All health and safety procedures were according to the law, with the necessary certification. We’re still struggling to understand what happened,” he said.

“People must know what went wrong but it is unfair to condemn anyone before the investigation is concluded.”

This was the first time someone died working on one of his projects, he noted, adding that he was deeply shaken by the tragedy.

The young man’s parents have been notified and are expected to arrive in Malta today.

Mr Artamonovs’ body was found at 5.30 a.m. under metres of rubble on a spot identified separately by two sniffer dogs after headcounts confirmed one worker was missing.

Personnel from the Civil Protection Department, the Emergency Fire and Rescue Unit and the Red Cross took part in the long and complex search, which continued throughout Tuesday night.

The Minister of Home and Parliamentary Affairs, Carm Mifsud Bonnici thanked all those involved for their tireless efforts.

The incident would have been even more tragic had it happened two hours later when hundreds of workers would have congregated under the nightclub structure for shelter during their lunch break.

Mr Debono said that about 400 people worked on the project, which would turn the Seabank into Malta’s “largest” hotel.

The young man’s family was contacted by his employer, B&B Holdings and Investments Ltd, the largest construction contractors working on the site.

When contacted, the company would not comment about the case at this stage to respect the victim’s privacy.

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority also kept silent on the case, except to say that it was investigating.

“There are a number of witnesses who still have to be heard and who can shed further light on the root cause of the accident,” a spokesman for the OHSA said, adding that it could not comment until the investigation was concluded.

The police are questioning witnesses and stakeholders and Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima is holding an inquiry.

When contacted, architect Robert Sant, whose name appears on the planning application of the renovation project, said his firm was only responsible for the “basic design”.

“We were not the structural engineers and we had nothing to do with the dome,” he said, adding that there were several other designers and structural engineers involved. He said he spoke to the police but had no answers to provide.

Structural engineer Pierre Farrugia refused to comment when contacted and AME Health and Safety Consultancy, which is also engaged in the project, could not be reached.

CPD director Patrick Murgo said Mr Artamonovs’ wounds, particularly those to his head, showed he probably died on the spot when the structure collapsed at 10.40 a.m. on Tuesday.

He said, however, there had not yet been any indication of whether it was the nightclub structure or the car park ceiling below it that caved in first.

“It is good for us to know so that if something similar happens, we would know the dynamics. We kept in touch with the architect and the court expert but we had no indication of what happened,” he said.

Sources confirmed the site was not flooded, making it unlikely that the structure was somehow weakened by the storm on Monday morning.

The site was closed off yesterday except for those involved in investigations.

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