The 27-year-old man who lost his life at the Palumbo shipyard yesterday is believed to have died instantly when he was struck on the head by a large piece of machinery which came loose during works.

The Italian man was hit by a large steel winch used to secure mooring ropes, a source close to the investigation said. His helmet was found some 30 metres away from his body.

The incident occurred at around 9.30am. The victim, whose identity has not yet been disclosed by the police, was at the time working on board a Libyan registered passenger ship being refurbished at the dockyard.

“The sheer force of the impact was clear to see,” the source said, adding that it appeared to have broken the man’s neck.

An autopsy will be carried out today to confirm the precise cause of death.

Sources yesterday described the Italian victim as having experience in the industry, and they said that he had only just joined the Palumbo shipyard three weeks earlier.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud was yesterday also appointed to conduct an inquiry into the incident.

This is the second death at the Palumbo yards in less than a year.

Last March 36-year-old diver Patrick Vella from Żejtun died while repairing a faulty underwater mechanism used to empty drydocks. He died from asphyxia due to drowning and left behind three young children.

A marine biologist, Mr Vella was an experienced diver who was sucked into the gate valve of Dock 4. Last October this newspaper revealed how an inquiry into the diver’s death had concluded the company’s directors should face criminal charges.

Sources then confirmed that the inquiry, also conducted by Magistrate Mifsud, had been passed to the Attorney General for review last year.

Magistrate Mifsud concluded that criminal action should be taken against the directors of the Palumbo yard for alleged breaches of occupational health and safety legislation.

The Times of Malta, however, is informed that no such action has yet been taken. Questions sent to the Justice Ministry, the police and the Home Affairs Ministry were not answered by the time of writing.

Attempts to contact Palumbo Managing Director Joseph Calleja proved unsuccessful.