Had it not been for the chilly breeze, Peter Tolan and his wife would have been dining on the restaurant balcony that collapsed this evening. 

Instead, the English couple were eating inside Balluta restaurant Barracuda when its balcony collapsed, injuring at least eight people in the process.

"It really was extremely frightening," Mr Tolan told Times of Malta. He described hearing an "unusual roar" halfway through their meal. 

"At first I thought it was something to do with the festa. But then we saw the whole of the canopy over the balcony collapse onto the tables below. 

Photo: Dunstan Crockford

One of the waiters said they were very, very lucky because they weren't that busy this evening," he said. 

Mr Tolan had high praise for the restaurant staff, saying they remained "cool, calm and collected" throughout it all. "They actually climbed out through a window to see whether there were any people who were injured." 

The eight injured people have been taken to Mater Dei Hospital. Sources there said that one was seriously injured and rushed into surgery. 

A rescue team at work. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli