Two balconies on the facade of the Cerviola Hotel in Marsascala collapsed on Thursday, sending debris hurtling to the pavement below. 

Residents who spoke to Times of Malta said that the incident occurred in the afternoon, with images showing how chunks of brick, concrete and other debris from the balconies ended up in a pile on the pavement in Triq il-Qaliet. 

It is understood that the hotel is currently undergoing maintenance work, with a hotel employee saying that one of the balconies was being used to store some bricks in relation to these works. 

Images show the two balconies collapsed almost entirely on Thursday, exposing brick and sending debris to the ground

In 2021 the hotel had filed a planning application to sanction some minor internal and external alterations to the building, which were approved last year. 

In March, the hotel also filed another application to transform three street-level garages in the same street into a bar and cafeteria, with further alterations including the installation of an ATM machine. This application is still currently in its screening process. 

A police spokesperson said officers arrived on site shortly after the incident was reported and that no one was injured. 

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

A spokesperson for the Building and Construction Authority said that while the site is not currently listed as a construction site, officers from the authority sent building inspectors to the hotel after being informed of the incident. They said that all debris had been removed from the pavement and that the area had been covered for safety reasons. 

A visit to the site on Friday revealed that scaffolding has been erected around the two balconies and the pavement below, with a green tarp draped over the structure, covering it up. 

Questions were also sent to the Occupational Health and Safety Authority on Friday. They were asked how they are ensuring that the site is no longer a danger to the public and what action they plan on taking to prevent further incidents.