A 39-year-old construction worker died when the truck he was driving fell into a quarry in Marsascala yesterday.

The accident occurred at about 11 a.m. when Jesmond Vella of Zabbar was unloading fine aggregate, used to make concrete, into the quarry known as Ta' Flusu, in the vicinity of the waste recycling plant.

The police said the truck was parked on some aggregate which gave way. This caused the vehicle, whose cabin was doorless, to tumble down a height of more than one storey into the quarry.

A father of one, Mr Vella died inside the cabin.

Duty Magistrate Giovanni Grixti appointed experts to help in an inquiry.

The police are investigating.

The General Workers' Union said the accident justified its call for a national conference to identify measures that could be implemented to reduce occupational hazards and deaths. The conference will be held on January 25.

The union expressed its solidarity with the victim's family and insisted that the country should take action to avoid such tragedies.