Sunday, March 12, 2017

In The News: Malta’s Azure Window Arch Collapses

The arch, which has been under threat of collapse for years due to natural erosion and disrespectful tourists alike, gave way under the strain of the gale force winds that were buffeting the island yesterday.  A local man told the Times of Malta, the arch suddenly collapsed into the ocean.

The iconic, landmark arch featured in films and television series including "Clash of the Titans," "The Odyssey," and "Game of Thrones," has collapsed. Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced the arch's collapse on Twitter on Tuesday, saying "I have just been informed that the beautiful Tieqa tad-Dwerja in #Gozo has collapsed. Updates soon."

Known as the Azure Window, the limestone arch stood on Malta's Gozo island and served as a picture frame for photographers wanting to capture the sunset over the waters of the Mediterranean. It was "easily the most photographed vista of the islands," according to visitmalta.com.

Steps had been taken by the government to preserve the arch, and visitors had been prohibited from climbing on the arch or swimming beneath it. According to Muscat, however, the landmark was always expected to be "hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion." "That sad day arrived," Muscat tweeted.


Malta’s Famous Azure Window Rock Arch Collapses, Photographers Mourn

One of the best known photography locations in the world has disappeared. Malta’s famed Azure Window limestone arch on the island of Gozo collapsed into the sea yesterday, leaving a conspicuously, tragically empty space in its wake.

It’s not just the thin arch between the mainland and the massive stone column in the sea that went either—the whole arch, column and all, is just… gone.

Despite the temptation to blame the tourists seen walking along the formation Malta’s Environment Minister Jose Herrera says the collapse could not have been prevented. Humans might have hastened the inevitable, but the arch’s collapse was inevitable all the same.

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