A 71-year-old man had a lucky escape this morning when a festa petard exploded near him as he was fishing below Fort St Elmo in Valletta.

The incident happened at about 10.15 a.m

The petard was let off as part of the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel. It did not explode in the air but crashed back to the ground, where it burst with a loud bang.

The man was rushed to hospital where he complained about loss of hearing. He is receiving hospital treatment.

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