Two women die in separate accidents

Two women died and a man is in a critical condition after two traffic accidents yesterday evening.

A 54-year-old German woman, Silvia Kluge, died after being hit by a man driving a car on Għajnsielem's main road, police said. She was taken to Gozo hospital but died within minutes.

Shortly after, a horrific accident at St Paul's Bay at 9.15 p.m. left one woman dead.

Police sources said the driver of a Peugeot 407 being driven along the St Paul's bypass lost control of his vehicle, mounted the centre strip and crashed into a Chevrolet Matiz negotiating the Erba Mwieżeb roundabout.

An elderly woman in the Matiz, Patricia Mitchell, died on impact, while her husband in the same car was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

The Peugeot driver suffered slight injuries.

Civil Protection Department rescuers were called to the scene to extract the victims from the car. The roundabout was temporarily closed to traffic.

Two inquiries are underway and the police are investigating both accidents.

Yesterday's incidents bring the total number of road fatalities in Malta this year to 21 - the highest this decade, according to the European Traffic Police network. In 2008, 15 people died on the roads.