A man died yesterday when his motorcycle was involved in a head-on collision with a bus at about 9.45am in Triq Għajn Tuffieħa, outside Mġarr.

The police said paramedics and members of the rapid intervention unit were called to the scene of the accident but the motorcyclist, Christopher Farrugia, 45, from Birżebbuġa was declared dead on the spot.

According to people on the scene, the two vehicles were heading in opposite directions. The road was closed briefly while police investigations were carried out.

Later in the day, at about 4.45pm, a man from Naxxar and a woman from San Ġwann, both aged 26, were injured when the male driver lost control of a quadbike, which overturned and fell a height of about five courses in Wied Għasri, limits of Marsalforn. The police said the pair were heading towards Qbajjar.

A number of serious accidents involving motorcyclists occurred over the past few weeks and months.

Yesterday’s was the second fatality involving a motorcyclist in the second quarter of the year after a 30-year old man from Sannat died when he crashed into a centre strip and an electricity pole in Għajnsielem on April 4.

Earlier this month, a 29-year old man was critically injured after a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle close to the airport and, last week, a 37-year-old man from Santa Venera was also critically injured when his motorcycle crashed into a wall in Armier Road, near l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa.

A 58-year old motorcyclist from San Ġwann was grievously injured in early May after crashing into a car.

Transport Malta has just installed the first motorcycle strips on the island. The strips are attached to the lower part of crash barriers and are meant to prevent riders from hitting the support pillars and lower part of the barriers.