A statue of Holy Mary was found next to the body of a woman who was killed when the house she was in collapsed in March, a court heard on Wednesday.

The court, presided by Magistrate Joe Mifsud, was hearing the testimony of Anthony Pisani, from the Civil Protection Department, who was one of the first responders on the scene where Miriam Pace was found dead after her house on Abela Scolaro Street collapsed.

Testifying in the compilation of evidence against four men accused of killing the women through negligence, Pisani said that the statue, the size of a mobile phone, was found next to the body.

Project architect Roderick Camilleri, 36, from Rabat; site technical officer Anthony Mangion, a 72-year-old architect from Gżira; 36-year-old excavation contractor Ludwig Dimech from Żebbuġ; and 42-year-old construction worker Nicholas Spiteri, from Mqabba are pleading not guilty to the charges.

He said rescuers had tried to reach out to Pace by calling her on her mobile phone, in the hope that they could locate her position beneath the debris. Once an area was identified as being her possible location, sniffer dogs were employed to help narrow down the search area.

Pisani said that rescuers had found some blood on part of the debris. When that section was cleared, Pace’s body had been located.

The court also heard the testimony of Jonathan Joslin, who led the medical staff which was called to the side. He said that at 10.15pm Pace had been certified dead on site and the process for the removal of her body had started.

Police inspector Mathew Galea presented the court with four statements taken from the four accused questioned during the course of police investigations following the building collapse.  

The case was adjourned to Thursday at 9am.