Wind dislodges cross from Għargħur church roof
Parish priest says damage not serious, as wind continues to lash country
A cross atop the Għargħur parish church was dislodged by strong winds lashing Malta on Friday.
Għargħur parish priest Christopher Galea told Times of Malta that the church had not been seriously damaged, while reassuring residents that the area was not hazardous after workers took down the cross.
“We will now wait until the weather improves to carry out repairs,” he said.
Workers bring the cross safely to the ground. Photo: Jonathan BorgThe strong winds, which peaked at almost 100 kilometres per hour on Thursday night, have caused disruption across the country and triggered a red weather warning, later downgraded to an orange warning on Friday morning.
A flight from Brussels with Prime Minister Robert Abela on board struggled to land at the Luqa airport on Thursday night. The plane only managed to land on its third attempt after 45 minutes circling in the air.
And earlier today, Qormi residents were evacuated from their homes after part of a nearby tower crane became unstable.
Officers closed part of the road and evacuated nearby residents from properties close to the construction site, while others scaled the crane to secure the structure.
The preceding night proved to be a busy one for the CPD, as they removed fallen trees and dangerous billboards from the streets.
On Friday morning, the Met Office noted that until 1pm, the west-northwest wind is forecast to remain very strong, sometimes reaching gale force (equivalent to Force 8 and above), especially over exposed areas.
Windspeeds tomorrow are expected to drop to Force 4 to 5 and blow from south southeast, or west northwest.
By Sunday, however, the wind is expected to pick up again, reaching Force 7 and blowing from a west-northwest direction. The temperature will also drop to 16°C at its highest and 11°C at its lowest on the day.
Monday and Tuesday should remain windy and partly cloudy, with strong winds ranging from force 5 to 7.