Can you hear that? It’s the sound of crying tourists, bereft that they’ll never again have the chance to take a selfie in front of the iconic Azure Window, a tourist hotspot on the Maltese island of Gozo that’s been destroyed by a ferocious storm.
The massive, bridge-like rock – which was formed naturally way back in the mid-19th century – crumbled into the sea after the limestone pillar supporting it took a systematic battering by gale force winds and savage waves over recent days.
Malta’s genuinely devastated prime minister Joseph Muscat confirmed the news on Twitter, noting that geologists had been warning of its imminent collapse for years.
I have just been informed that the beautiful Tieqa tad-Dwejra in #Gozo has collapsed. Updates soon.
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived.
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
The site from where one could admire it-Tieqa tad-Dwejra. Heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/S4XV6MyKRu
— Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) March 8, 2017
Much the same as Sydney’s Royal National Park has done with tourist magnet Wedding Cake Rock to preserve its structural integrity, the Maltese government recently imposed fines of AU$2,097 for anyone caught climbing the Azure Window’s arch.
Its popularity with selfie-thirsty tourists exploded after it was used as the backdrop of Khal Drogo and Daenerys’ wedding in S1.
D’ya remember????
Local resident Roger Chessell told the Times of Malta he saw the whole thing happen, having gone to take photos of the wild storm.
“There was a big raging sea beneath the window. Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up a huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too.”
Luckily no one was injured when it came crashing down into the sea.
RIP Azure Window, 19th C. – 2017.
Photo: Getty / Insights.
