Nine youths were arrested on Monday after they were allegedly caught starting fires in a disused private hospital.  

In a statement on Tuesday morning, the police said the youths, all males aged between 15 and 20, were caught starting fires in a private healthcare facility in Santa Venera.  

Firefighters were called to the now-closed St Philip's Hospital on Monday at around 3.30 pm after smoke was seen rising from the building. The fire was quickly put out by Civil Protection Department firefighters. 

Smoke rises from the shuttered Santa Venera medical facility on Monday.Smoke rises from the shuttered Santa Venera medical facility on Monday.

Ħamrun district police, assisted by the Rapid Intervention Unit, caught the youths in the Santa Venera building. They said the suspects had lit fires in some rooms of the site.   

Police said their investigations are ongoing and a magisterial inquiry is being led by Magistrate Monica Vella.  

Police closed off the area after arresting the nine youths. Photo: Jonathan Borg.Police closed off the area after arresting the nine youths. Photo: Jonathan Borg.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.