The beautiful Azure Window in Gozo, Malta, was a favourite spot for photographers.
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A celebrated natural arch in Malta, popular as a tourist attraction and filming location, has fallen into the ocean, writes Elizabeth Sleith

An epic storm has claimed a cherished natural phenomenon - the world-famous Azure Window of Malta.

Known locally as Tieqa tad-Dwejra, the "window" was a limestone arch near Dwejra Bay on Gozo, an island in the Maltese archipelago.

The 9m-tall arch was famously featured in the HBO television series Game of Thrones, which is known for its splendid filming locations, as the backdrop for Daenerys Targaryen's wedding to Khal Drogo in the series premiere.

It was also a notorious cliff-jumping location.

On Twitter, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called the loss of the arch "heartbreaking".

"Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived," he added.

It wasn't only the arch that gave way in the storm last week, but also the stacks on either side of it. Effectively, no trace remains.

"Gozo has lost one of its iconic beauties," the Gozo Tourism Association said.

A Gozo resident told local press that he had witnessed the collapse .

"There was a big raging sea beneath the window," he said. "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."

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