A worker killed when a roof collapsed during works at a Sliema property has been named as Bari Balla, a father of six from Albania. 

The Albanian community in Malta has set up a fundraiser to support the 51-year-old's family as they come to terms with the tragedy. 

"Bari Balla, father of 6 children, tragically lost his life on Saturday, April 20, 2024 while working in construction," the fundraiser says.

"He was killed after a roof of a 1920s house in St Ignatius Street, Sliema, collapsed."

The funeral will take place after the body is released for burial by the inquiring magistrate.

Balla died and another worker, a 31-year-old man also from Albania, was injured when a roof collapsed at the Sliema property on Saturday morning. The 31-year-old managed to run out and suffered slight injuries but Balla remained trapped beneath the rubble. He was found dead around one hour later, following a frantic rescue operation.

The Albanian community set up a fundraiser. Photo: Facebook screenshot

Preliminary investigations suggest that part of the roof of the building's first floor gave way while workers were beneath it.

The building is a 1920s, three-storey townhouse that is due to be expanded to be turned into a shared living space.

The developer and architect obtained planning permission on March 26 to add a receded floor and extend existing ones. However, that permit stated that no works could commence onsite until the period in which objectors could appeal the March 26 decision had lapsed. Objectors typically have 30 days to file an appeal against a planning decision.

The body of Bari Balla being removed from the construction site after the collapse. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The Building and Construction Authority, which regulates construction works, said works at the site were illegal as it had not been informed about them. "The works did not have full PA clearance and no BCA application was filed, meaning the works were not permitted," it said in a statement.

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority also said it had not been notified of the works. The accident was the latest in a string of construction-related tragedies to hit Malta, and the first to involve fatalities since a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia was published earlier this year.

That inquiry, commissioned following the death of 20-year-old Sofia at a construction site in Corradino, found a litany of shortcomings in the way the construction sector is regulated and processes enforced.

The government has since established a committee made up of various ministers, tasked with implementing the inquiry's many recommendations. According to official statistics, more than half of all workplace deaths in 2022 and 2023 were related to the construction industry.

On Tuesday the BCA’s CEO, Jesmond Muscat, resigned. No reason was given, but the resignation comes days after the Sliema accident and following remarks by the prime minister on Monday urging tough action by the regulatory authorities on whoever was responsible.