On May 28, I was returning to Malta after a pleasant day in Gozo, with a visiting friend, but I was utterly disgusted at the riotous incidents which occurred at the Gozo terminal reception area between 5 and 6.30pm.

The responsible authorities – the ministers for transport and tourism and the Commissioner of Police – must take urgent remedial action before a serious incident, along with injuries, takes place.

What must visitors think of Gozo and Malta? How can two attendants at the ferry reception be expected to supervise over 300 visitors when the system is so utterly disorganised?

All the people were being herded together, like sardines in a tin, in the small ticket office reception.

There was one attendant in the office who was doing his best to issue boarding tickets while the second attendant was standing at the turnstile, which gives access to the much larger reception area and access to ferry gates 1 and 2. The crush of people was now becoming unbearable.

There were elderly passengers, babies in pushchairs and people in wheelchairs.

Many Maltese were trying to reason with this attendant and the exchanges became volatile. The attendant should have seen the problem but showed his frustration by shouting back at the passenger, raising his arms in frustration and walking away from his responsibility.

One of the passengers had contacted the Gozo police but they did not respond.

Passengers then began to climb over the turnstiles and remove plantations to gain access to the larger waiting area but, in the main, to release unbearable bodily pressure. The attendant was mainly responsible for the mayhem. Fortunately, the access gates were opened.

I would suggest that the authorities immediately apologise to those passengers, through the media, for the traumatic, stressful and disorganised situation they were subjected to.