No one was injured when a block of four apartments in Guardamangia collapsed late on Wednesday night.

The apartment block, located on Guardamanga Hill, is adjacent to a construction site. One corner of the building collapsed at around 10.40pm, sending bricks and stonework flying into the middle of the road and waking up residents of the area.

Police and civil protection personnel confirmed that no one had been trapped inside after conducting a headcount.

This newsroom is informed that the four families managed to run out of the building in the nick of time after cracks showed up in the walls.

Sources said one resident noticed the cracks and managed to alert all four families, with the collapse happening some ten minutes later.

It is understood that excavation work was carried out in the construction site for most of the day. 

Sources said the residents had an architect inspect the building earlier this year when they first noticed that cracks had appeared in the walls but were told that the structure was safe. 

There were emotional scenes after the incident, with residents expressing relief that no one was hurt and others blaming the construction work for the collapse.

One resident said that a tragedy had been avoided.

A dog owned by one of the families was also saved but some pet birds are still inside one of the damaged buildings.

The residents who lived in the collapsed apartments lost most of their belongings.

The area has been cordoned off and Enemalta personnel are checking for any dangers. 

The police are currently waiting for the government architect to arrive on site and establish the cause of the collapse.

 

Additional reporting by Kevin Schembri Orland

Photos: Albert Galea