A 27-year-old Latvian construction worker is believed to have been trapped beneath the rubble when a newly-built structure at the Seabank Hotel in Għadira Bay collapsed yesterday morning.

Construction works on what is set to become a nightclub with an underlying car park were finished, and the wooden dome topping the concrete structure had already been placed.

But two workers, including the Latvian national, were dismantling scaffolding inside when the concrete structure caved in at around 10.45am, and one of them remained unaccounted for. The car park itself appears to have collapsed, bringing down the nightclub and the dome with it: The cause of the collapse remains unknown. A head count was carried out by each of the contractors involved in the project to ensure that no other workers were trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescuers from the Civil Protection Department rushed to the scene, as did medical teams and police officers, who cordoned off the immediate area. Some rescuers had even received training overseas in rescue operations of the sort, including in earthquakes. All other works on site stopped and the workers were sent home, although many stayed on for a while and some even volunteered to help clear the rubble.

Two search and rescue dogs brought to the site pinpointed the same location, suggesting that the worker had been trapped there, although he had not been located at the time of going to print.

The state the collapsed structure is in makes the operation a difficult one, as interventions pose the risk of further collapses which could even endanger those involved in the rescue operation. At one point, a crane was used in an unsuccessful attempt to lift a section of the wooden dome: most of it soon fell back down. Subsequently, rescuers and volunteers formed a human chain to remove rubble in a bid to allow for the worker’s rescue or retrieval.

The incident could have been far worse if it occurred a little later in the day, as many workers routinely congregated to the spot for lunch. Workers also indicated that the collapse could have also brought down a tower crane, and that it was fortunate that this crane had not been hit. But the force of impact was so great that a steam roller actually parted company when a roof section collapsed onto it.

The hotel is currently closed as it is currently undergoing major extension works which will see its capacity grow by around 340 rooms to 500. The project received MEPA’s blessing in February 2010, and the government approved a motion to transfer the public land the extension twelve months later.

Works have been going on at a very rapid pace, with around 700 workers involved in the project. The hotel was set to reopen by May, and bookings for the month have already been made: although the incident is set to delay works. A recruitment drive was held last weekend: the hotel’s workforce will have to double as a result of the extension. Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima is leading an inquiry into the case, which is also subject to police investigations.