Gozo ferry passengers yesterday said they had a “scare” when the ramp started being raised while they were still walking across it.

It’s a really shameful scene that I will never forget

The incident happened in Ċirkewwa at 1.45 p.m. as the passengers were boarding the MV Malita.

Passengers who spoke to The Times said that they shouted at the crew and staff on the quay but they all acted as if nothing strange had happened.

“It was like a third world country scenario,” a passenger who asked to remain anonymous said.

Another wrote on timesofmalta.com: “It’s a total disgrace. People on the ferry stayed on the ramp trying to keep it down so we can go up but the crew still ignored the protest and kept pulling up the ramp even with people on. It’s really a shameful scene that I will never forget and this really wouldn’t have taken longer than another minute for us to get on so it wouldn’t have made the difference.”

The company issued a statement later in the evening giving a different version of events. “From initial enquiries made, it appears that some passengers attempted to stop the MV Malita from departing by getting on the ramp just as it started being raised, apparently in order to delay the trip to allow some other passengers to board.”

The company said staff directed the passengers to clear the ramp and it was raised after they did so.

The company, however, added that it would be investigating the incident, in which no one was injured.