Mirabelle Falzon is the 22-year-old woman who died on Friday afternoon after being crushed under a rockfall in Marsascala, in a swimming spot known as Munxar within the limits of St Thomas Bay in Marsascala. The incident happened at around 3 pm. Mirabelle Falzon was assisted by members of the Civil Protection Department and a medical team before being rushed to Mater Dei hospital where she died shortly after.
This site sends its sincere condolences to her family.
The authorities could have prevented this death. It was back in September 2018 when Times of Malta reported of the falling rocks in Delimara and Munxar which were posing imminent danger to swimmers.
The whole article reads:
Falling rocks pose an imminent danger to people who go swimming in the area known as il-ħofra z-zgħira in Delimara, two visitors have warned.
Dominic Briffa (Dom Dom) said he had seen rocks falling ‘like rain’ in recent days from a natural arch in a spot frequented by swimmers.
‘I have grown hoarse trying to alert people all weekend,’ he said. ‘But young people in particular continue to ignore me. There are also families with children.‘
He said a fence also needed to be set up to stop people from walking on top of the area, particularly where it overhangs.
He said he has also alerted the authorities but no one has shown up so far.
Francois Borg, who also issued warnings through Facebook, said cracks have appeared on both sides of the rock face, indicating that more rock falls were likely.
Similar danger in Munxar, Marsascala
Another reader, Noel Ciantar, said the same rock problems exist at Munxar, in Marsascala.
‘Around all of its edges, especially around the edges of the peninsular formation where there are a couple of buildings, people walk to the edges to look at the sea below, but they may not know that they are walking onto dangerous and weak protruding rock edges that may fall any time. There are no warnings in the area. Signs should warn people to stay 1-2 metres away from the edge,’ he said.
In my opinion, this death could have been prevented and don’t tell me it’s the responsibility of the public. Surely, not everything that happens is the government’s fault. If I cross a busy street without looking and without using a subway or a zebra crossing, without waiting for cars to stop, then it’s my fault. If I go to the edge to look at the sea down below and fall, it’s my fault. But going for a swim and having rocks fall on you is another thing. It could have been anyone. And it could have been prevented.
We live on an an island surrounded by the sea and its rocks should be part of the maintenance of this country. They should be checked and anything that has to be done, must be done without eradicating their beauty or destroying them but by making them safe for the public.
Now I’m not making this a political issue. But now we will get the usual case where the authorities jump into action after tragic incidences like these occur. But I hope that such deaths can be prevented for anyone. Maybe some kind of protection, safety provisions, signs or whatever is needed is done instead of the complete ban and prohibition of going to swim and walk in such places, as is the usual norm in this country where we go from one extreme to the next and then they will tell you ‘for your safety.’
Instead of having maintenance and ongoing checks of this country so that such accidents do not happen and citizens are protected, we get authorities who are more keen to see how they can shame this country with one corrupt scandal to the next while they fill in their pockets. And they call this ‘to serve you and the nation.’
