The collapse of an apartment block shocked Malta late on Wednesday night as it reignited memories of past fatal construction collapse tragedies.

In this instance, tragedy was averted: nobody was injured and the apartment block was empty when it collapsed as 32 residents had been evacuated from it some hours before.

Pictures from the site on Thursday morning show the devastation on the site.

Building debris spilled over into the road while several roads around the area remain caked in construction dust.  Not much is left of the old apartment block: only parts of a couple of rooms and most of the building’s stairwell remain standing.

The rest now sits in a mangled pile of concrete and limestone building blocks inside a construction site next door.  A mattress, for instance, is visible in the debris pile, together with water tanks and air condition compressors.

The site and some of the surrounding roads are still cordoned off.  Police and officials from the BCA and OHSA were also on site, together with workers from the Civil Protection Department.