Salini fireworks factory explosion led to scores of damage reports being filed with police

More than 50 police reports were filed by individuals who suffered damage to their property and livestock following the Salini fireworks factory explosion, MaltaToday has learnt.

The reports concern damage to private residences, farms and facilities impacted by the massive explosion that shook the area on Monday 1 June.

Sources close to the investigation told MaltaToday the reports covered a large area around the blast site, with residences on the Qawra coastline also being affected.

Meanwhile, the police forensic unit led by Inspector Charlo Casha and explosives experts from the army led by Col Patrick Vella are assisting the inquiry led by Magistrate Joe Mifsud.

Sources said experts were using drones to map out the area where the Lourdes Fireworks Factory once stood and comparing this to satellite imagery available to the Planning Authority. Drones are also being used as a safety measure to monitor the area while explosives experts head into the fields. CCTV footage from several locations was collected and is being analysed, while stakeholders are being spoken to.

Sources said the inquiry is leaving “no stone unturned” in a bid to establish the cause of the explosion and whether there were any irregularities on site.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has pledged to publish the magisterial inquiry once the investigation concludes and if the magistrate allows it.