Two men were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a powerful explosion occurred on the morning of Monday, June 1, at the Ta’ Lourdes fireworks factory in the Magħtab district of Malta.
In particular, according to information from maltatoday, a 67-year-old and a 47-year-old were in fields near the factory at the time of the explosion. The Police confirmed that none of the factory workers were on site when the incident happened explosion.
The blast, which came from the factory on Triq tal-Qagħdi, was heard several kilometers away, shook buildings and shattered windows across large areas of Malta.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, while the authorities are conducting an investigation into the causes and circumstances of the incident.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life, I thought we were being bombed”
Residents of the surrounding areas reported hearing the blast from several kilometers away, while others described feeling the shock wave. One person, who was walking his dogs in Kennedy Grove at the time, described the terrifying experience. “I was in Kennedy Grove with the dogs when I heard the first bang. At first I thought it was a gas cylinder that exploded. Then, about five minutes later, three more explosions followed one after the other. The explosions were so powerful that I felt my hair shake from the shock wave and all the trees around us shook. My dogs went absolutely crazy. I’ve never been so scared in my life, for a moment I really believed we were being bombed.”
Police, the Civil Protection Service, the Armed Forces of Malta and medical personnel remain at the scene to ensure the safety of the area, while the public is advised to avoid it.
The reaction of the Prime Minister and the President of the European Parliament
Political leaders and the President of the European Parliament commented on the specific incident and expressed solidarity with those affected, while at the same time praising the emergency services that responded to the scene.
The country’s prime minister, Robert Abela, said in a Facebook post that his thoughts are with those affected, adding that officials and workers from the country’s authorities were immediately dispatched to the scene to offer assistance.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, emphasized in her post on Facebook that she was shocked by the explosion that “shaken our country” and expressed her solidarity with the residents of the surrounding area. He gave special thanks to the members of the Civil Protection and to all those who are in the field of action “under these difficult conditions”.
