Man dies in fireworks blast

A man died yesterday in a huge explosion at a fireworks factory in Ta' Kandja, limits of Mqabba.

Fifty-year-old Godwin Debono of Birkirkara, a father of three, was the only person in the private factory when it was rocked by the blast at 12.45 p.m.

The explosion was so loud it could be heard from as far away as San Gwann.

Police sources said the factory was not licensed and was operating illegally. However, the victim himself was licensed to manufacture fireworks.

The complex, which consisted of about six small rooms at the bottom of a disused quarry, was razed to the ground. It belonged to a Benny Farrugia, known as ic-Choppy, who himself was disabled by a fireworks explosion several years ago.

Debono was found buried under the debris near the factory gate by members of the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces of Malta and the police.

He had suffered burns to the top part of his body. Sources close to the investigators said he was still wearing gloves used by fireworks manufacturers to mix chemicals for the petards.

Preliminary investigations indicated he might have been caught in the first flash while he was mixing and tried to run out of the compound as the rooms exploded, the sources said.