The Ġnejna turtle eggs seem to have been untouched by the torrential rains earlier this week, which left the island strewn with uprooted trees and battered cars.

Tuesday morning saw hundreds of people clearing debris, and many wondered whether the same heavy waters had whisked away the fragile eggs.

Concern increased when pictures of Ġnejna Bay taken after the storm went viral.

Water flowing down the valley onto the sand seemed to have created a furrow right where the eggs were located.

But not all hope is lost. Nature Trust president Vince Attard said this channel formed two to three metres away from the 79 eggs, which the loggerhead turtle originally laid some two metres from the water’s edge on June 20.

The nest, which became a major attraction, was relocated because the eggs were too close to the sea and risked being washed away if the water became rough.

Eleven weeks later, the eggs were at risk again from the storms, but Mr Attard told The Times that “first indications show the nest is intact”.

This was confirmed by a planning authority spokesperson, who added that the only way to be 100 per cent sure was to dig it up – which cannot be done before the protection period stipulated by Mepa is up.

The eggs’ future will be decided after tomorrow, 79 days after the turtle arrived on the bay.

Ġnejna and Golden Bay were popular nesting sites for turtles in the past.

The last recorded nesting was in 1960 in Golden Bay but in that case the mother was killed and the eggs were stolen.