Storm destroys Malta’s famous rock window

Gusts of wind and huge waves destroyed the famous Azure Window, a rock formation on the coast of the Maltese island of Gozo, on Wednesday. Believed to have formed naturally in the mid-19th century, the Azure Window has become a symbol of Gozo and the island’s natural beauty. The massive rock arch with its flat top above the blue sea at Dwejra is a popular motif in Maltese tourist brochures. It seemed to have withstood the raging seas, but the storms that have battered Malta and Gozo in recent days finally tore away the entire structure on Wednesday morning. No one was injured when the rock formation collapsed into the sea. Geologists had long warned that it could give way at any time. Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced the news on Twitter, saying: “I have just been informed that the beautiful Tieqa tad-Dwejra has collapsed.” In another tweet, he said: “Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be severely affected by inevitable natural corrosion. That sad day has come.” Photos of the iconic Gozitan site appeared on news sites across Europe. The Azure Window recently made an appearance in the popular TV series Game of Thrones. Local resident Roger Chessell was in Dwejra when it happened and wanted to take photos of the storm. “There was a large, raging sea beneath the window,” he told the Times of Malta. “Suddenly the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud bang, kicking up a huge spray. When the spray subsided, the chimney was gone too.”