Evacuated students were let back into Paceville block hours before collapse
Language school says students were allowed back on instruction of authorities
Students evacuated from a Paceville apartment block were allowed to return to the dangerous building to collect their belongings hours before it was reduced to rubble.
Commenting on social media, a French-speaking user, claiming to be one of the 32 residents evacuated from Tania Flats, questioned why they were allowed back in.
“They asked us to evacuate in the morning, but in the afternoon, we had to, retrieve our belongings... despite the enormous cracks in the building,” the user wrote under a TikTok video showing the immediate aftermath.
Nobody was injured when the building collapsed at 10.30pm on Wednesday night.
While Times of Malta cannot verify the identity of the student, the owner of the language school where the students are studying confirmed they were allowed to reenter the flat.
“Students were allowed back into the building after an inspection, and on the instruction of the authorities, to go and take their personal belongings out and vacate permanently after the building was inspected by architects,” ESE owner Sean Legault said.
Legault said the school had been renting a number of apartments in the building for the past 15 years.
“Our students are all safe and well and we took the necessary action with the authorities to assure their safety and well-being. They are all relocated in our other residences,” he said, adding that all students were adults. Asked if he was concerned that the incident would have a negative effect on the industry, Legault said the system worked to prevent a tragic outcome, but “more careful monitoring of works was needed prior to and during construction works”.
Jessica Rees-Jones, CEO of language school association FELTOM, said the school’s management had been actively monitoring the situation and liaising with architects and owners in recent weeks, particularly since demolishing works began on the adjacent site.
“At the first signs of concern, necessary precautions were taken,” she said “There was full cooperation and communication among students, staff, and authorities to proactively mitigate risks and prevent any potential damage or tragic outcomes. Thanks to this collective effort, safety was ensured, and all individuals remain unharmed.”
The building has multiple owners. In a report submitted to the authorities on Monday, an architect for Santumas Shareholdings PLC, which owns two properties in the building, warned authorities that the property was a “danger to its users, third parties and the public”.
“Masonry structures fall slowly, and then suddenly,” architect Chris Mintoff warned. “This might be the last warning the building may give prior to a more serious scenario,” he concluded his report, advising that third parties be informed of the situation and adjacent works cease.
The building is adjacent to an active construction site that was served with a stop works notice just one day prior. The developer of the adjacent site is Excel Developments, which is owned by Joseph Portelli, Mark Agius and Daniel Refalo. Agius is listed as the project developer. In a statement issued on Thursday morning, Excel Trading Limited insisted “the collapse was not caused” by any works commissioned by the company.