A 71-year-old man, who insisted on fishing in a closed-off area while fireworks were launched to mark a feast in Valletta, suffered slight burns to his shoulder yesterday.

A few hours after the accident that happened at about 10.15 a.m. the man turned up at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica to apologise for insisting to fish in the area, Fr Martin Schembri said.

The man was angling in the area known as Il-Fossa, right beneath Fort St Elmo, when he was injured by burning debris that fell when a petard was fired in preparation for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel today.

He was taken to hospital where he complained of diminished hearing from the loud sound of the petard explosion. He was released a few hours later suffering from slight burns to his shoulder, sources said.

"People had been telling him to move away from the area that was closed off to the public for safety reasons. But he insisted that he wanted to fish there," explained Fr Schembri, the rector of the basilica.

Lawyer Michael Falzon, legal adviser of the Maltese Pyrotechnic Association, said that once a person chose to access the restricted area, he would be doing so at his own risk.

Fr Schembri said that the parish had paid all the necessary insurance fees, amounting to some €2,000, and had the relevant permits to let off petards from Fort St Elmo.