Nine people were hospitalised, one of them in critical condition, following three separate traffic accidents yesterday.

The most serious incident took place in Triq L-Infetti, Mdina, in a three-car collision at around noon.

Police said a Chevrolet car driven by a 67-year-old man with a 63-year-old woman passenger, both Canadians, collided with a BMW driven by a San Ġwann resident, who was accompanied by a 25-year-old woman from Sliema.

A third car, a Toyota Vitz driven by a 55-year-old woman from San Ġwann, collided with the two vehicles. Also travelling in the car were a 60-year-old man and a four-year-old. All were taken to hospital for treatment, where the Canadian woman was later reported to be in critical condition. The boy was kept in hospital for observation.

Earlier, a 51-year-old German man was fortunate to escape with slight injuries after his car overturned onto the rocky Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq foreshore.

The police said the man was driving along the Coast Road towards Buġibba, when he lost control of the vehicle.

An ambulance was called and Civil Protection Department personnel assisted the man out of the car. After being examined in hospital, he was found to be suffering from slight injuries.

And a 49-year-old motorcyclist from Rabat was seriously injured when he came off his bike in St Andrew Street, St Julian’s in the early morning.

The police said the man appea-red to have lost control of the motorcycle. His injuries are not life-threatening.