Santa Venera resident Miriam Pace has died after her home collapsed while she was inside.

An extensive search through the rubble for Pace had been ongoing since her residence collapsed this afternoon, but it has now been confirmed that she didn’t survive the accident. She was discovered by members of the civil protection department at 10 pm.

A police spokesperson on-site also confirmed that Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit will be overseeing the case.

It has been reported that the developers of the site have already been taken in for questioning. However, the spokesperson was reluctant to confirm whether this was the case.

Pace’s residence in Triq Joseph Abela Scolaro, Santa Venera collapsed this afternoon, with police confirming this was a result of works at a nearby construction site.

The Malta Developers Association reacted by suspending council member Malcolm Mallia, who is part of a development consortium which invested in the project in question.

This is the fourth home to collapse in Malta since the start of 2019, with the previous three incidents prompting the government to introduce new construction regulation laws. Site technical officers must now be licensed architects or engineers, method statements and condition reports drafted by architects must be more detailed than they used to and fines for developers who breach the law have been increased substantially.

Rest in peace Miriam