The sea and weather have claimed a Malta landmark, the Azure Window, a long-famous attraction on Malta’s western coast.
The limestone arch, called Tieqa tad-Dwejra in Maltese, collapsed on March 9, after years of fame as a cliff-jumping destination and as a sight in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
A local resident who was at the scene described it: “There was a big raging sea beneath the window. Suddenly, the arch collapsed into the sea with a loud whoomph, throwing up huge spray. By the time the spray had faded, the stack had gone too.”
The Azure Window is one of a number of natural landmarks that have disappeared in recent years, including New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountains, which collapsed several years ago.
Photo: Berthold Werner/Wikimedia