Truck catches fire underground

No one was injured when a truck used to carry stone slabs and rubble caught fire underground. All workers have been accounted for.

As part of the flood relief project, a tunnel connecting Attard to Msida is being constructed. The incident happened five kilometres into the tunnel at around 3.45 p.m.

Members of the Civil Protection Department and volunteers were deployed to the two entrances of the tunnel. Due to the lack of oxygen and high quantity of smoke, it was decided that members of the CPD should go in after the fire dies down and the smoke clears.

According to officials on site, CPD workers do not have enough oxygen in their oxygen tanks to go in by foot while going in with their trucks is not possible due to the poor visibility. Sources speaking to MaltaToday said the visibility in the tunnel was down to zero.