Malta clears up storm damage as Helios moves towards Libya

Malta on Friday started to clear up damage caused by Storm Helios, which battered the country on Thursday and led the authorities to urge people to stay indoors.

The storm is now moving towards northwest Libya, but an orange weather warning remains in force.

Video: Jonathan Borg

The wind is expected to pick up again later on Friday, going from strong to very strong westerly veering very strong east-northeast.  It should be a mostly cloudy day with showers of rain or hail, becoming thundery at times. Visibility will be good becoming moderate to poor in showers. Although the flooding had been mostly cleared by Friday morning, some areas such as Ħal Far Road remained submerged. Authorities asked people to avoid the area if possible.

Video: Jonathan Borg

In other, drier areas, people started the arduous task of cleaning up debris from the storm and assessing damage caused by the gale-force winds. The coast was especially badly hit by the inclement weather, with large violent waves destroying structures and even capsizing some boats.

Photo: Jonathan Borg

In Mistra Bay, a boat was shipwrecked, while a boulder fell onto structures at Popeye Village.

Older buildings were especially...