Construction mishap sends gypsum tumbling over crowded Sliema pavements

What was supposed to be a young woman’s walk down to the Ferries for a coffee with a friend almost turned out to be her last - as falling gypsum landed mere feet away from her.

Contacted by MaltaToday, the young woman recounted hearing shouting and warnings as she walking towards a corner coffee shop, close to an on-going construction site in Bisazza Street in Sliema.

“As I looked around to see who was shouting, a mass of stones fell to the ground just feet away from me, and there was dust everywhere,” she recounted. Shocked, she said she was rooted to the spot.

She explained how salesgirls from a nearby clothes shop took her in and sat her down to calm the young woman who was in a clear state of shock.

“The workers from the construction site immediately appeared, and started clearing up the debris,” she said. “They seemed more intent on cleaning up than making sure that nobody was hurt.”

She added that it was sheer luck that nobody got seriously injured by the falling stones. “As I called the police and the ambulance, the owner of the construction site came over to check if I was all right.”

The young woman said that he offered repeatedly to take her to hospital – but she preferred to wait for an ambulance. She was later taken to hospital where she stayed until evening due to the shock.

By the time the police arrived however, she said that the debris from the construction mishap has been all cleared up.

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