Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1217481
KARL AZZOPARDI A silent vigil for Miriam Pace was held last night in Hamrun outside what used to be the house where she lived with her family. The vigil was organised by civil society group Repubblika as a sign of solidarity with the Pace family and all those who suffered in similar circumstances. Pace was killed after her house collapsed on Monday. The house is next to a construction site. The good governance NGO called for justice to be served, in what was the fourth building collapse in less than a year. Monday's incident was the first to claim the life of a victim. Families left homeless last year after their houses collapsed as a result of adjacent construction work vented their frustration and anger at the impunity enjoyed by developers. Caroline Micallef and Janet Walker, whose houses in Gwardamanga were destroyed in separate incidents last year, expressed disbelief at how Monday's incident, which had fatal consequences, was allowed to happen. Micallef lost her apartment last year in the first incident. Luckily, the family managed to escape before the block collapsed. "Stop bullying ordinary people," she appealed to contractors, lamenting the fact that almost a year later her family was still fighting for compensation. "I will keep fighting for my family home… aren't we, the ordinary people who wake up at 4am to go and earn a decent living for our families also important for the economy," she cried. Janet Walker, whose house partially collapsed last year as a result of nearby excavations, also lamented the fact that new rules do not appear to have kept contractors and developers in check. "Developers should at least give nearby residents alternative accommodation until construction works are completed and compensate for any damage they do to third party properties," Walker said. 24 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 MARCH 2020 NEWS 'Stop bullying ordinary people' Attendees at the silent vigil lit candles and left flowers and messages on the site of the tragedy