Catherine Cutajar was an elderly maid living with her employers, when a freak storm ended her life brutally and suddenly.

The Tabone family of seven escaped unscathed by jumping through a window on the ground floor, but Ms Cutajar was killed when the three floors of the Sliema home she was living in collapsed.

She was found dead under the rubble close to the front door by firefighters. The family was devastated. 

Ms Cutajar was one of the victims of an unexpected storm that rampaged the country in October of 1982.

All she could remember was hearing a terrifying noise and 'being repeatedly hit by falling stones'

The storm, which saw winds of up to 133km/h - the same speed as the storm that roared across Malta earlier this week - saw ceilings collapsing and lives ruined.

Three other victims - a couple and a young man from Ħamrun - were also killed in the storm. The bedroom of 47-year-old Tony Bianco and his wife, 51-year-old Carmela, caved in, leaving their four children to escape the rubbles of their home.

Chaos reigned on that fateful October night, with many fending for themselves as firefighters and authorities struggled to keep up with emergency calls coming in.

Watch: 'We lost everything' - two separate eateries gobbled up by the storm

A mother who had spoken to Times of Malta at the time said she ran to the bedroom of her child, only to find out his cot was about to be crushed.

All she could remember was hearing a terrifying noise and "being repeatedly hit by falling stones", she confessed. Her house ended up being destroyed by the storm, but her baby was saved just in time and only ended up suffering slight bruises.

The storm had caused destruction, leaving 19 injured and scores narrowly escaping their life, as the country’s infrastructure struggled to handle the stormy weather.

"Freak storm" in 1979 left English tourist missing 

Another unexpected storm in 1979 had left many missing and others forced to abandon their vehicles, swept away by floodwaters.

55-year-old Vivienne Huntingford died after being trapped when waters flooded the basement of her house. Another two men also died.

Other people were reported to have been injured in near misses, after their cars were swept away by currents at Birkirkara, Msida, Marsa and other low-lying areas.

The Metereological Office at the time had reported 68.2 mm of rain had been recorded in the span of a few hours.

The incident had caused extensive damage, and around 30 people were isolated by deep water at the Marsa Sports Club and had to be rescued by helicopters. The first person to be flown out was an expectant mother.

Transport in various parts of the island came to a standstill as hundreds of cars were stranded on the roads.