Focus turns on strength of foundations

The police have temporarily halted investigations into whether criminal negligence could have led to last week's fatal building collapse, pending further excavations at the site.

Police sources said the next step was to clear the underlying garage of rubble to find out whether the foundations were strong enough to support the building.

A contractor from Birkirkara, an architect and workers involved in construction works at an adjacent site have been questioned by investigators.

Half of the building - a block made up of four flats and two underlying garages - collapsed on Thursday afternoon killing two women, Mary Zarb, a 60-year-old retired teacher and former St Paul's Bay councillor, and her student Nadya Vavilova, 24, a Russian interpreter.

Civil Protection Department personnel under the surveillance of department head Peter Cordina, police and court experts have uncovered part of the concrete structure used as a base for the foundations of the collapsed building. A concrete base is normally used on clay ground.

The block was situated next to a plot where work was in progress to lay the foundations for a new building. On Thursday morning, works were taking place close to the wall of the collapsed building. Dangerous parts of the collapsed section of the block were demolished by the CPD over the weekend.

"I cannot bear the vibrations anymore," Catherine Camilleri, 54, had told her daughter in Balzan on the morning of the collapse. Mrs Camilleri lived in the second floor flat with her husband singer Bayzo in the part of the block which remained standing. She was rescued by the fire brigade from her balcony.

Mrs Camilleri and her husband are now living at their daughter's residence in Balzan.

Mr Camilleri told The Times he was very surprised that his wife had not been asked to testify in the magisterial inquiry.

The tenant of the first floor flat, Charles Farrugia, said he has moved to the Santana Hotel, in Bugibba at his own expense.

He said he had been informed at a meeting at the Mosta police station that the two remaining flats were being repaired and given back to their tenants.

But Mr Farrugia fears that no matter what repairs are carried out defects would remain that would make his flat dangerous to live in.

He invited the photographer of The Times to go up a ladder to his flat and photograph the cracks in the wall.