Msida snack bar’s ceiling partially collapses

The ceiling of a popular snack bar in Msida collapsed on Saturday afternoon as construction work was under way in the upper floors of the building.

The establishment, Duke's Snack Bar, which is commonly frequented by locals and students from the nearby Junior College, was closed, and luckily nobody was hurt.

The height of the building is currently being extended, with a block of flats currently being built on top of the second floor, and the construction work appearing to have been a factor behind the bar's ceiling caving in.

Jason Carabott, who operates the bar, was in the establishment at the time of the incident, but managed to escape unharmed.

The bar’s owner, Charles Duca, told TVM that they had been concerned with intensity of the construction-related banging on the floor above, but that the architect supervising the work had assured them that the structure was safe. Duca, who was very angry at what had happened, said their livelihoods depended on the snack bar.

The incident follows a spate of other building collapses this year, which had prompted the Prime Minister to impose a two-week ban on construction as new rules came into force.