A neighbour who witnessed the house collapse that killed Miriam Pace has been unable to return home due to safety fears, almost two years on.

Rosette Zerafa has been living in rental accommodation since the day she watched her neighbour’s home in Ħamrun crumble “like a waterfall” on March 2, 2020.

The Zerafas are keen to return to the maisonette they raised their family in but want it to be reinforced, as recommended by their architect and a family psychologist.

“The trauma has been great. I saw it happen. I lost a neighbour and a friend. Then I lost a home,” Rosette told Times of Malta, in her first interview.

“Nothing has been done to make it safer for us and other neighbours in these two years,” she said.

Miriam Pace was killed in her own home. Photo: Facebook

This week, the Zerafas and another couple, John and Grace Sammut, began legal action to seek damages from the developer, contractor and architect of the construction site where excavation works were ongoing at the time of the collapse.

Rosette and her husband, David, moved into the maisonette in Antonio Miruzzi Street after they married in 1991, naming their home Rosedave.

The couple had already experienced deep trauma before the incident.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail but I know what loss is all about having lost our 13-year-old middle daughter. So when I asked my psychologist why I was struggling so much with this – after the loss of a child – she replied that I lost my safe space,” she said.

The trauma has been great. I saw it happen

The construction site had its entry point next door to the Zerafas’ home and stretched over to Abela Scolaro Street where the Paces’ house was located.

Miriam, 54, was killed when her house collapsed while she was in it. The Zerafas’ maisonette and underlying garage was located back-to-back to the Pace residence. The Sammut family lived in a maisonette right next door to the Pace residence.

Day of collapse

Rosette recounted how, on the day of the collapse, she returned home from work, parked her car in the garage, walked through the yard and into her home. Within 20 minutes of her arrival, her world would change.  

When she entered her home, she called her daughter, who was in the UK on an Erasmus programme.

“I went into my daughter’s bedroom, while she was on the line, and opened a cupboard to see what she needed as we were planning to visit her later that week,” Rosette recalls.

“Suddenly, I felt a strong tremor. I shouted: ‘I don’t know what’s happening!’ I turned towards the window – which leads onto the property of Miriam, the window I often spoke to Miriam through – and I saw a waterfall. The wall was falling like a waterfall.”

She said she lost Wi-Fi connection and then felt a second tremor.

Rosette Zerafa described looking out of her window and seeing her neighbour’s home go down like a waterfall. Photo: Rosette Zerafa

“I had been cut off from my daughter. I froze for a while. Then, with the phone still in my hand, I realised I had to run out. I headed towards the front door and, when I opened it, I was engulfed in dust. I couldn’t see a few inches ahead of me and I felt as though I was suffocating,” she recalled.

When she eventually managed to look around her she realised what had happened.

Rosette immediately feared for Miriam, a housewife, who often stayed at home and called her repeatedly. There was no answer and Miriam’s lifeless body was brought out from under the rubble later that night.

“Just a few days earlier we had been sharing our concerns with the contractor. We told him to keep us safe… look what happened,” Rosette said.

Uncertain future

Rosette and her family were sent to a Gżira rental apartment with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. They could only enter their home for the first time seven weeks later following the architect’s evaluation.

“The court-appointed architect has said the building is not condemned. It’s safe to enter but that does not mean it’s safe to live in,” Rosette said.

“Our architect recommended that it be reinforced given that no tests have been carried out to determine the safety of the underlying rock. This is also the recommendation of our family psychologist who feels that, for our well-being, following the trauma we lived, knowing that the building is safe would allow peace of mind we don’t have right now.”

This is not right. We, and others like us, lost our homes for no fault of our own

Shortly after the collapse, the coronavirus pandemic struck the island, adding a layer of stress. After several months in Gżira they moved to an apartment in Siġġiewi which the government is paying till March, after which they are not sure what they will do.

“This is not right. We, and others like us, lost our homes for no fault of our own. We had to face extra expenses such as lawyers, architects, doctors and re-buying basics like clothes. All we want is to be able to go back into our homes with peace of mind. But nothing has been done,” she said.

Project architects Roderick Camilleri and Anthony Mangion, contractor Ludwig Dimech and labourer Nicholas Spiteri were charged with involuntary homicide in relation to the collapse and Pace’s death.

In July 2021, the two architects were found guilty of involuntary homicide and ordered to perform a total of 880 hours of community work and to pay €18,000 in fines. 

In May 2021, the Pace family reached an out-of-court settlement with MCZMC Developers Limited.