A man who died after falling down a lift shaft in Sliema has been named as Robert Schembri.

Police confirmed Schembri's death on Saturday afternoon, saying that the 64-year-old engineer from Santa Luċija fell around four storeys in a private residence.

The incident occurred at around 12pm on Triq Stella Maris. 

It is understood Schembri was working on the structure of a lift in an apartment owned by his son when he fell down the shaft. 

At some point, the victim took a step inside the lift shaft, possibly unaware that the lift had descended to a lower floor, according to sources.  

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, Foreign Minister and former Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg paid tribute to the late engineer, describing his "great sadness" at the news. 

Schembri had worked alongside former Infrastructure Malta boss Frederick Azzopardi and contributed to projects for the Water Services Corporation (WSC) and Enemalta during his career.

In a separate post, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard called news of Schembri's death "shocking", describing him as a friend and a "dedicated member of the BCA [Building and Construction Authority] board".

Writing on Facebook, the authority said it was "shocked and troubled" by the board member's death.

Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said he was shocked by news of Schembri's death, who he said he had known through the late engineer's work in the profession.

The Chamber of Engineers said it "mourns the tragic loss", calling Schembri a "very experienced engineer with a career spanning various roles."

Magistrate Joe Mifsud has opened an inquiry into Schembri's death. 

A joint investigation by the police and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority is ongoing.