Till late last night, the rescue operation was still in full swing, in a desperate attempt to save 60-year-old Mary Zarb and Russian national Nadia Varikova, 24. Rescuers feared that a third person, also Russian, was also trapped under the rubble.

The incident took place at around 3.15pm in Ramon Perellos Street, soon after workmen had left the construction site. Ms Varikova was at Mrs Zarb’s house attending an English private lesson.

Neighbours described the noise as “incredible”, adding that the cloud of dust made it impossible to see what was happening. One resident said she thought it was a film her son was watching on television. She said she quickly realised that something was really wrong when she heard screams coming from outside.

The block had four apartments. Two of them collapsed, while the others created several problems for the rescue operation to be conducted with peace of mind. In fact, there was a time when the rescue operation had to be suspended because of fear that the other two apartments would also collapse. The residents of these two apartments were evacuated.

Also trapped under the rubble were a mini van, a car, a 16-foot dinghy and two trailers, which were stored in a garage at road level beneath the block of flats.

Censu Galea, Competitiveness and Communications Minister, was quick to arrive on scene but soon switched to his role of architect and began helping in the coordination of the rescue operation.

Duty magistrate Joe Cassar was on scene for a number of hours, conducting an inquiry along with other court experts, including Dr Mario Scerri and Architect Richard Aquilina.

Members of the Armed Forces of Malta, the Civil Protection Department under the guidance of director Peter Cordina, and paramedics filled the road. Police were helped in their search by two sniffer dogs trained in search and rescue operations.

Other organisations, such as the YMCA Rescue Team and St John’s Ambulance, were also called on scene to assist in the operation. Onlookers did not lack and policemen had a difficult job controlling the amount of people who gathered on the scene.

Cranes, trucks, bulldozers, army trucks, bobcats and all other types of equipment lined the main street, which was closed off from the roundabout that leads to the Xemxija by-pass.

Rescue operations continued all through the night. Just before going to print, none of the missing persons had been found.