Birżebbuġa is mourning the loss of Rita Azzopardi, the 75-year-old woman who died on Monday evening when the stone balustrades of a balcony in her home gave way while she was cleaning them.

Described as a “good woman,” Azzopardi was married and had two daughters and two grandchildren. 

The accident happened on Monday at about 7.30pm when Azzopardi was cleaning the balcony of her home in Triq Is-Sebħ. Neighbours spoke about how they heard a “very loud sound” during the otherwise quiet evening and ran out to find that Azzopardi had fallen into the driveway of her garage, surrounded by broken balustrades.

“I heard a loud sound and initially thought something happened to my son upstairs. Then I went outside and saw what happened… She was my neighbour for many years. She was a very good woman,” said one neighbour.

Azzopardi’s husband was home at the time and did not realise what happened until a passer-by rang his doorbell.

Several neighbours, many elderly, passed by the house on Tuesday morning. Azzopardi’s nephew Jesmond Fava, described her as “a very respectable woman” who was always interested in asking about the wellbeing of his family members.