Five men are missing and one is in stable condition after two big explosions took place yesterday at St Helena fireworks factory in an area known as Ta’ Xwieki, limits of Gharghur.

The fireworks factory, located inside a disused quarry, was destroyed completely after the second explosion took place at about 6.10pm, just 20 minutes after the first blast.

While the search and rescue team could not access the site due to a number of pyrotechnic flashes (beraq) that could still be heard exploding until about 10pm, the search for the missing men is expected to begin today at about 6am.

So far the police have identified Joe Bonello, who is in stable condition after he suffered serious injuries to his head, right arm and left shoulder.

It is highly probable that he was rescued before the second explosion took place and the area became more dangerous.

It was after the second explosion that the police cordoned off a large area surrounding the factory.

Family members and friends of the missing men inquired about their loved ones for hours after the explosions took place, but police could only console them by telling them to hope for the best and that there were occasions when people involved in such accidents were even found after three days.

Some men who were in the area at the time said they could see the men’s cars on site and the indicator of one of them was still flashing.

An eyewitness who said he was attempting to search parts of the area surrounding the site, said a dog could be seen amid the debris in the quarry. He said that a nearby factory, referred to as Ta’ Briffa, was extensively damaged by the explosions.

The man added that the explosions had caused the fire to spread, but it was not advisable to try putting it out with water, since this could have caused more fireworks to explode.

Many of those who were in the surrounding area at the time of the accident said they received phone calls on their mobile phones from the men just after the first explosion. Some also heard them calling out for help, but the situation changed after the second blast, when the men could not be reached on their mobile phones any longer.

Residents living in a nearby street, Triq Santa Katerina, told The Malta Independent that there were about 80 families living there and they were planning to launch a campaign against the fireworks factories in the surroundings on 4 July.

A gardener who was tending to a French family’s villa in the street said the blasts were so loud they were literally deafening. This is unsurprising as the explosions could be heard from a number of localities including St Julian’s, Swieqi, Birkirkara and Naxxar.

The police are currently working on the search and rescue operation together with a number of paramedics from St Luke’s Hospital, members from the Civil Protection Department and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the Armed Forces of Malta.

Duty Magistrate Silvio Meli launched an inquiry into the case and appointed several experts to assist him.

Among those who appeared on site shortly after the accident were President Eddie Fenech Adami, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca, Archbishop Paul Cremona, OP, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg and Parliamentary Secretary in the Finance Ministry Tonio Fenech.