The church in Żebbiegħ was struck by lightning in a storm on Thursday, sending bricks from the building’s tall pillars to the ground below, Mġarr mayor Paul Vella said.

At around 1pm, the sky above many localities in Malta split open, pouring rain onto the streets as people took to social media to share their storm sightings.

A temporary 'fountain' in Mosta. Photo: Malta Dizastru Totali/Facebook

In Żebbiegħ, a small locality close to Mġarr, stones from the town’s church were sent cascading to the ground as the storm passed by overhead.

“It was quite a hit from what I saw,” Vella told Times of Malta, believing the damage to have been caused by a lightning strike.

A video posted to the Malta Dizastru Totali Facebook page showed the stones scattered across the floor in front of the church’s door, with many commenters coming to the same conclusion as Vella.

The video and post have since been deleted.

Another photo showed an erupted manhole, adding a fountain feature to the already flooded road.

Not even buses were safe as one video captured water pouring in from cracks in the vehicle's walls, leaving behind rubbish and drainage.

“Roads are flooded and drainage is leaking into the bus,” Stephen Sammut Nurminen said on Facebook.

“On another note, no electricity in parts of Naxxar - did the cables get wet,” he asked in the same post.

The first rains of the season are traditionally among the most damaging, with pouring water sometimes unable to access stormwater pipes partially blocked by litter, stone and other materials building up over the dry months. 

Power cuts

During the storm, multiple localities reported power cuts. Responding to questions sent by Times of Malta, an Enemalta spokesperson said technical teams were sent to repair aerial lines, outdoor transformers and an underground cable fault.

Most areas have regained access to electricity while some localities may still require further repairs before they are reconnected to the grid, they said.

They did not confirm the cause of the damages.