'It's heartbreaking': Malta's famous Azure Window collapses into sea
The landmark - which appeared in Game Of Thrones - has been completely destroyed by heavy storms.
Thursday 9 March 2017 06:21, UK
The Azure Window - one of Malta's most famous landmarks - has been completely destroyed by heavy storms.
The 50-metre-high limestone arch on the island of Gozo, in Dwejra Bay, attracted thousands of tourists a year.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted: "Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived."
In a further tweet, posted with a photo showing the new view, he wrote: "The site from where one could admire it - Tieqa tad-Dwejra. Heartbreaking."
One Gozo resident who witnessed the storm described the arch collapsing into the sea "with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray".
Formed millions of years ago, when two limestone sea caves collapsed to form the arch, there is now no visible rock left above sea level.
A geological study in 2013 concluded that while natural erosion was inevitable, the formation was not in imminent danger of collapsing.
It had been believed that it would survive for decades to come.
The environment minister for Malta tweeted: "With sadness we note that the Azure Window has collapsed. We shall brief public in coming hours. Our work on management plan will continue."
The precarious arch had been popular with cliff divers and thrill-seeking tourists keen to film themselves jumping from the bridge.
Wear and tear from human erosion had prompted a recent ban on walking over the bridge, with a penalty fine of more than £1,000.
As well as being photographed by tourists from around the world, the geological wonder had appeared in several films including Clash Of The Titans (1981) and The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002), as well as first season of Game of Thrones.