Members from the Civil Protection Department together with workers from the Department for Projects and Development within the Ministry for Gozo, have been working non-stop to clear and make safe numerous instances of serious damage in Gozo, which were caused by gale force winds which hit the Maltese islands yesterday evening. The works started around 8.30pm last night and continued throughout the night till late this morning.

Extensive damage was caused in several public and private places, amongst these there were uprooted and broken trees as well as prominent damage to electricity poles which caused the interruption of electricity supply in nearby areas. Moreover there were several reports of collapsed rubble walls and damage to parapet walls.

The Statue of Our Lady of Pompei, which was fixed on top of the dome of the church annexed to the Dominican convent at Anton Tabone Street in Victoria, was also toppled by the strong winds, as shown in the top photograph.

Winds reached their maximum strength in Gozo at 08.09pm when in Xewkija a strong wind of 47 knots equivalent to Gale Force 9, was registered.The most affected areas in Gozo were Sannat, Xewkija, Nadur and Mgarr.

The weather conditions on the island are expected to persist with winds varying from rather strong to strong West Southwest to strong South Southwest, with the possibility of reaching gale force again.Meanwhile, calls for assistance and damage reports are to be channelled through the Civil Protection Department in Gozo on 21564213.