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maltatoday SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2018 2 News RAIN STOPS PLAY Ship runs aground, carnival festivities cancelled as storm batters Malta A 79-year-old man from Isla lost his life yesterday after apparently slipping and falling near the town's seafront. The police had been told, at around 9.30am, that a man had been seen lying on the ground in Triq ix-Xatt Juan B Azzopardo. On arriving at the scene, they called a medical team to assist the elderly man, but he was unfortu- nately certified dead. It appears that the injuries the man suffered on falling might have led to his death, the police said. Duty magistrate Gabriella Vella, who was informed of the case, or- dered an inquiry and appointed a number of experts to assist her. Police investigations are ongoing. Man, 79, dies in Isla seafront fall MASSIMO COSTA ALL planned Saturday carnival fes- tivities in Valletta were cancelled due to the major damage which pre- vailing bad weather caused to logis- tical equipment, the official Valletta carnival Facebook page announced yesterday. "This step was taken in the interest of the participants' and the general public's safety," it said. Plans for a children's programme in the morning, involving dancing and a defilé with the King Carnival Float, and more dancing and a triumphal floats parade in St George's square in the afternoon, had to be scrapped. A theatrical production in St John's Square was also not expected to take place. The Triton 18 Ball at Triton Square, featuring local DJs and a live performance by the Big Band Brothers, was postponed to Sunday at 7pm, while Sunday's activities are envisaged to take place as scheduled. Friday's festivities had also been cancelled due to the prevailing weather conditions, causing disap- pointment to carnival-goers and participants, who invested a lot of time and resources in contributing to the celebrations. mcosta@mediatoday.com.mt A severe weather warning was issued on Saturday, as Malta was battered by strong winds and heavy rain. The Civil Protection De- partment and police urged motorists to exercise caution, especially in low-lying areas due to rainy conditions. Police said severe flooding had hit different areas, es- pecially December 13 Road in Marsa, Rue D'Argens in Gżira, and parts of The Strand in Sliema. 116.6mm of rain – twice the average for February – fell over a 24-hour period. Mod- erate to heavy rain affected the islands till late yesterday morning, with strong north- erly winds gradually becom- ing very strong northwest, occasionally reaching gale force. The Environmental Land- scaping Consortium was engaged to clear fallen trees, freeing up CPD personnel to do other tasks. All Civil Pro- tection Department assets were deployed at the time; the majority of them carrying out pumping operations on waterlogged areas. Malta International Air- port said the cause of the severe weather was an area of low pressure coming from the direction of Libya, mov- ing east. The situation is expected to improve over the next two days, with a northwest wind at force five to six forecast for today, and a force five west-northwest wind (pos- sibly increasing to force six) expected tomorrow. Isolated showers are also forecast over this period. A 38-year-old Romanian national from Mosta was killed on Saturday after a tree collapsed on the Nissan van he was driving, violently crush- ing it. The car's passenger, a 32-year-old Romanian female, also from Mosta, was hurt in the accident which took place in Triq Notabile, Mriehel. The police later said her injuries were se- rious. District police and police from the Rapid Intervention Unit, who were informed of the incident at 6.30am, went on site and called a medical team from Mater Dei Hospital as well as Civil Protection Department officers to assist the victims. The man was certified dead on the scene, and the woman was immedi- ately taken to hospital for care. Duty magistrate Donatella Fren- do Dimech, who was informed of the case, ordered an inquiry and appointed various experts to assist her. Police investigations are ongoing. The fatal accident comes as in the past two days Malta was hit by strong winds and heavy rain, caus- ing precarious conditions along several of the island's roads. Man was driving when tree fell on top of van killing him and seriously injuring female passenger Motorist killed, passenger injured after tree collapses on car in Mriehel Saturday carnival activities cancelled MATTHEW AGIUS A bunker barge ran aground in Qawra yesterday after very rough seas and blustery wind caused it to break its moorings. The crew of the 595-tonne Hephaestus, a bunkering tanker registered in Togo, all disem- barked safely. A spokesman for the Ministry for the Environ- ment said that the vessel had no fuel cargo on board. No environmental damage had occurred so far, the spokesman said, underlining however that "the situation is fluid and ongoing." It was not immediately clear how the vessel would be cleared from the shore. magius@mediatoday.com.mt (Photo: David Vincenti) 595-tonne tanker runs aground in Qawra, crew safe More rain showers expected Satellite imagery shows the storm pattern over Malta and the middle of the Mediterranean (C) Maltese Roads Traffic Updates/Facebook