A sense of shock, mourning and outrage characterised a protest held after the death of Miriam Pace. 

The 54-year-old was killed on Monday in the latest in growing list of construction-related incidents.

Protesters lit candles and held a five-minute silence in memory of the mother of two on Tuesday evening.

But there was anger too, especially from residents who had lost their homes in previous collapses.

Caroline Micallef, whose home in an apartment block in Gwardamanġa collapsed due to an adjacent construction site last June, said she was angry that construction had claimed a victim.

She said: "Developers must stop bullying us citizens. Somebody died here! 
I will fight till the last drop of my blood to seek justice."

She joined around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Pace family residence in Ħamrun. 

Caroline Micallef, a victim of a house collapse last year said she was left angered that someone had been killed. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Janet Walker, whose home was destroyed in the same collapse last year said enforcement was "non-existant" and that she did not trust the authorities.

"Though they told us it was safe to go back we are not so sure as cracks have appeared in the yard," she said.

Janet Walker, whose home was destroyed in a previous collapse last year, attended the protest. Photo: Keith Micallef

Opposition leader Adrian Delia and other Nationalist Party MPs also turned up, though their presence prompted mixed feelings among members of the crowd.

Demonstrators denounced what they described as the “developers’ greed” and government’s “complicity for not keeping its word” to tighten controls in the wake of last year’s spate of collapses.

Martin Hampton, expressed his anger at the fact that this tragedy happened a few months after the government had promised to tighten controls. 

“It transpired that things got from bad to worse,” he said.

Candles lit in memory of Miriam Pace. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Many of those who turned up said they felt they had to do their part to raise awareness in the hope that things could finally change.

“I felt compelled to participate to convey my full support in the hope there will be no further incidents like this,” said a pensioner.

An elderly woman added: “Had such a thing happened in any other country people would take to the streets but unfortunately it seems that in Malta we are getting used to these incidents.”

The victim was due to turn 55 in the coming days, was found buried under the debris of her residence in Triq Joseph Abela Scolaro after an eight-hour search operation on Monday.

The collapse happened around 2pm when the building crashed onto an adjacent construction site where works were underway on the construction of a block comprising 59 garages, four shops and overlying apartments. 

An architect, a site technical officer, two contractors and two workers were questioned by the police in connection with the fatal collapse.