Updated 10.30am 

A man was killed after a car exploded in Marsa this morning, police have said. 

The explosion happened on Triq Ħal Qormi, close to Maltapost headquarters, at around 8.10am today. 

Police sources said the explosion was most likely caused by a car bomb.

In an official statement, the police the victim was a 65-year-old man from Ħamrun. Multiple sources named the victim as Victor Calleja. The car allegedly belonged to his wife.

Armed Forces bomb disposal experts, a medical crew and forensics team were all dispatched to the scene, and the road has been temporarily closed to traffic, with debris from the exploded Opel Astra scattered across the road.  

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech is leading an inquiry into the incident. 

Last year, three separate car bomb incidents shook the nation, although police sources said they do not believe the incidents were linked.

The first, in January 2016, killed a man as he was driving along the Marsascala bypass. A second car bomb went off in Marsa in September, leaving the driver without legs. The third car bomb of 2016 went off early on a Monday morning in October, with the explosion ripping apart a car in Buġibba and killing its 67-year-old driver.  

Photo: Matthew MirabelliPhoto: Matthew Mirabelli

 

The car exploded close to Maltapost's headquarters. Image: Google MapsThe car exploded close to Maltapost's headquarters. Image: Google Maps

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