Three men were confirmed dead and a fourth was still missing after the Għarb fireworks factory they were working in exploded yesterday afternoon, rocking the island of Gozo.

Sniffer dogs were flown to Gozo by helicopter to help with the hunt

There were three blasts, the first at about 2.40pm followed by another one a few minutes later. The third explosion took place at about 3.30pm as rescuers were working against time in their bid to find survivors.

Four cars found on site, indicating four people must have been inside. These belonged factory owner Ġorġ Gatt, Mario Gauci, Peppi Cini and Brian Portelli, the youngest of them aged 26. By the time of writing last night it could not be confirmed who were the dead and who was the missing person.

The distraught parents of the youngest of the four were on the scene and later had to be taken to the Gozo hospital to be treated for shock.

Mr Portelli, a nurse, had called his best friend at about 12.30pm and had arranged to call later to plan their evening out with some friends.

His Facebook page was inundated with messages of condolence, many commenting on what a good and professional nurse he was.

The relatives of the factory owner were also distraught, although they were heard commenting that he had died in the place he loved most and working on fireworks, his favourite pastime.

Rescuers hurt in search for any survivors

Mr Cini’s relatives said he was obsessed with fireworks, despite their pleas for him to spend more time with them rather than risk his life manufacturing pyrotechnic devices.

The three bodies – yet to be identified – were found 20 minutes after the search started.

But the search for the fourth proved more difficult. Rescuers from the Civil Protection Department used a mechanical shovel to move concrete slabs in their efforts to find him.

Sniffer dogs were flown to Gozo by helicopter to help in the search, which stretched into the evening, when floodlights were installed.

CPD head John Gera said the search was even more difficult because rescuers had to tread carefully as there were still unexploded fireworks on site.

The search was called off at about 9pm and was expected to resume this morning.

The Qalb ta’ Ġesu (Sacred Heart) factory was flattened by the three explosions.

Mr Gera said CPD personnel were injured when the third explosion took place. One was hit by stones hurled by the blast. Luckily, none of the injuries are serious and the fireman hit by the stones was discharged soon after he received treatment.

The first blasts were heard as far away as Żejtun in Malta. The third explosion, although less powerful, was also heard in Mellieħa.

Hundreds of people gathered at the scene of the blast with police officers there instructing them to move backwards as fireworks were still exploding. Even relatives were kept at bay, especially since they were adamant on joining the search for their loved ones. One woman kept complaining that journalists were closer than she was, even though she was just 10 metres away.

The quaint village of Għarb is no stranger to fireworks factory explosions. Just two years ago, in September 2010, six lives were claimed when the Farrugia Brothers Fireworks Factory, just 500 metres away, exploded in what was the worst fireworks related incident in history.

The dead consisted of the owner, his two sons, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law and a family friend.

Only last month, on October 25, waste from the production of fireworks, including some chemicals, exploded outside St Mary Fireworks Factory in Għaxaq. No one was injured.

On February 13, 2012, an explosion occurred at St Joseph’s Fireworks Factory in Kirkop. A man got away with a slight injury to his hand.

He was standing outside the workshop when he saw a spark inside and ran for his life.

The factory complex

The fireworks factory complex consisted of three rooms, which were destroyed by yesterday’s blasts, a room that had a generator inside and was badly damaged, and a large storage room for completed fireworks that remained standing.

The rooms that blew up included a mixing room where all the chemicals were mixed, a small storage room and a kitchen.

Luckily, the room where the fireworks were being stored did not explode, although its door was blown in by the blast.