Pontoon overturns

A pontoon in Comino's Blue Lagoon overturned on Saturday evening when dozens of bathers flocked onto the floating structure to catch a boat back to Malta or Gozo.

People who were on the pontoon when it capsized, at about 5.30 p.m., suffered slight injuries that included grazes and bruises on their arms and legs, the police said.

The Malta Maritime Authority, which is responsible for the temporary structure, said the pontoon overturned because it was overloaded with people.

It said two people were taken to hospital, even if it turned out that they too slightly injured.

Following the incident the MMA said it would be revising the embarkation and disembarkation agreement at the Blue Lagoon.

Sources said a complaint was recently lodged with the MMA because one of the underwater chains securing the pontoon in place was too loose.

"I was on the pontoon when it overturned. There were about 50 to 60 people, mostly foreign teenage students waiting for the boat. To exacerbate matters, there was a boat trying to berth next to the pontoon... so we ended up thrown in the sea between a pontoon and a boat. Luckily, no one got seriously injured. But everyone's belongings ended up wet and ruined," Nikita Scicluna wrote on timesof malta.com.

Dylan Lentini wrote: "People fell on top of others trying to come out (of the water) to breath. Some were stuck to the rails and trapped underneath. The platoon fell on top of us and hit some people on the head. I was impressed by the number of Maltese volunteers who immediately took action... teamwork at its best".

Another witness, Matthew Borg, commented that he believed the pontoon overturned because students were fooling around and causing it to swing by moving from one side to another.

Stephanie Caruana pointed out that she used the pontoon on Friday and was afraid to stand on it for fear it might overturn. "I cannot understand how the MMA placed this pontoon and did not secure it properly," she said. The temporary pontoon was installed a month ago as part of the MMA's campaign to ensure the safety of swimmers at sea in the popular bay. It will be dismantled towards the end of September.

The wood and stainless steel pontoon extends outwards from the existent concrete quay that lies adjacent to the sandy beach. It was designed as a transfer platform so that passengers could embark or disembark without the boats getting too close to the bathing area, the MMA said.

The sources said that, since the pontoon was put in place, it had been vandalised by unknown individuals who perforated the floating boxes supporting the platform.

The MMA said that days after the pontoon was installed, damages to the pontoon were noted, namely superficial perforations to one of the floating concrete slabs and a broken gangway handlebar.

These damages could possibly be associated with vandalism but the MMA said has no conclusive evidence to this effect.

Repairs were effected within 24 hours where this was deemed required.

The MMA noted however that these damages had no impact or bearing on Saturday's incident.

The MMA apologised for the inconvenience and regretted the distress suffered by the people involved in the incident.

It appealed to boat owners to respect the demarcation lines of the swimmer zones, to proceed towards bathing areas with extreme caution and to refrain from using swimmer zone lines as a means of anchorage.