The dead body of a man who is believed to be a middle-aged American was found at l-Ahrax tal-Mellieha this afternoon.

While some reports said that he was a private investigator, others said the victim was a former US policeman who was retired in Malta.

Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

No account could be officially confirmed by the police.

The man may have fallen down the cliff after he slipped, although nothing is being rules out at this stage, a police spokesman said.

The man reportedly made some private investigation work in Malta.

It is understood that the corpse was spotted by a foreigner who was taking pictures in the area. He called the emergency services to report the find.

The body was found face down in a bush of the cliff, seven storeys down and had to be hoisted up by an AFM helicopter.

The police, an ambulance and members of the Civil Protection Department and the Armed Forces of Malta were on site.

A grey Toyota Fun Cargo equipped with camera, torches and a lot of other equipment was found on site. The key was in the ignition

The body of Pawlu Grech, 47, was found in the same area on October 18.