An elderly person was injured after a ceiling collapsed in Sliema, the police said.

The ceiling collapsed after a heavy object fell from a crane which was being operated in the vicinity fell onto the roof of a nearby residence.

The woman, who was inside the building, was slightly injured and was also treated for shock on site without being taken to hospital.

Civil Protection Department personnel, police and medical staff rushed to the site after a "loud bang" was reported, which many believed to have been an explosion.

The police have confirmed that the accident took place in Old College Street just after 11am.

The road was temporarily closed to traffic as the police investigated the accident.