Updated Friday 8.15 am

A 35-year-old man was rescued and taken to hospitalon Thursday after he fell through a hole into an old reservoir beneath Vittoriosa's main square. 

The police said the incident happened at 4.20 pm.

Rescuers from the Civil Protection Department climbed down the reservoir to recover the man, believed to be a Turkish worker.  

The area where the incident happened is currently undergoing regeneration works.

In a statement on Friday, the police said that the man had suffered grievous injuries after falling a height of roughly two storeys. 

They confirmed him to be a 35-year-old Turkish worker currently residing in Birkirkara. 

The man was given first aid on-site by rescuers and was then transferred to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance where his injuries were certified.

The police, together with the Occupational Health and Safety Authority are still in the process of investigating the incident. 

Several of Malta's old towns have large reservoirs under their main squares, with those in the Cottonera area dating back to the time of the knights.

Times of Malta reported two years ago that the 17th-century reservoir in Vittoriosa’s Victory Square had been restored and was being filled with secondary water for irrigation and street cleaning.    

The Vittoriosa reservoir as pictured in 2021. Photo: Steven Mallia (Il-Gibjun)