Last updated 8.30pm -
Tons of rubble fell into the back yard of a St Paul's Bay apartment block on Thursday evening after the ground under a pavement collapsed, bringing down a boundary wall.
The incident happened at 7pm at Triq Ix-Xaghra tal-Bandieri. The yard is at a lower level than the street.
The incident sparked a major search for people who could have been trapped under the debris.
The site of the collapse in St Paul's Bay (Matthew Mirabelli)
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the Civil Protection Department and the police deployed search dogs and drones to help in the operation, but thankfully no trapped persons were found.
A spokesman for the police said the residence appeared to have been vacant but the search was carried out as a precaution.
The scene in St Paul's Bay (Matthew Mirabelli)
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.
The debris which fell into the apartment block's back yard. (Byron Camilleri/Facebook)
The scene floodlit during the search. (Matthew Mirabelli).
Civil Protection personnel at the site of the collapse in St Paul's Bay. (Matthew Mirabelli)
The scene of Thursday's collapse in St Paul's Bay. (Matthew Mirabelli)
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.