Residents of a Guardamangia apartment block forced out of the building after a neighbouring wall collapsed have now spent a year out of their homes, without a solution in sight. 

Shortly before 8am on June 13 last year, 14 adults and two children were removed from their homes on Mimosa Street when a wall that faced an adjacent construction site caved in, exposing the apartments. 

Residents had long expressed concern to authorities that the site was an accident waiting to happen. 

'For us, the pandemic has been going on for a year'

Commemorating the anniversary in a video message, Janet Walker, a victim of the Mimosa Street collapse, said that while the world was suffering through the coronavirus pandemic, for the families who lost their homes, the suffering had been ongoing for a year. 

“A lot of people have lost their jobs, some couldn't pay their rent or make payments on their houses. There was a lot of help, and for this a lot of people are grateful, I'm sure,” Walker said. 

“But I just want to remind you that for us, the pandemic has been going on for a year.” 

Walker told Times of Malta that, through the government’s mediation efforts, they had been presented with two proposals; one that would see a total refurbishment of the affected apartment block and the other proposed that the building be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. 

Police barriers put up around the site in the days following the collapse. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Feeling unsafe with the situation their homes are in, the residents chose the latter, but remain in a standoff with the contractor, who insists refurbishing works will be sufficient. 

“I want to thank people for the support we’ve received, it’s incredible,” Walker says. 

“I’m sorry if at times I’ve hurt people by what I say and write, but the truth hurts”. 

Carmel Ellul, who runs the construction company Ebcon, told Times of Malta that his company’s work is safe and has been certified by an independent architect. 

"The building didn’t move. I managed to do remedial works to their property in three weeks and have been waiting for a year to go in and do the necessary repairs. They are making my life a living hell,” Ellul said. 

The contractor claims that the apartments suffered minimal damage and that a surveyor report found that his works had not caused structural damage.

"People think I am unsympathetic but that is not the case. I want to go in and fix what needs to be fixed so that the families can return to their homes and close this chapter here."