What grabbed the attention of timesofmalta.com readers last year? Kim Dalli goes through the figures and finds that freak accidents, the Queen and Isis made it to the top 10 list of best read stories.

Two freak accidents that left scores of people injured dominated the online portal’s readership stats: the Paceville club stampede and the supercar crash during Paqpaqli Għall-Istrina shocked the nation, together notching up over 329,000 unique page views.

74 young people were injured in an incident at the Plus One club in the country’s entertainment mecca when a glass bannister collapsed under the weight of scores of patrons.

In November, 74 young people were injured in an incident at the Plus One club in the country’s entertainment mecca when a glass bannister collapsed under the weight of scores of patrons attempting to leave at once. Two girls, including a 13-year-old, were critically injured.

Readers intensely followed the story as it unfolded, with the second most followed item being a dramatic video depicting the crush. The accident led the Prime Minister to promise an investigation and reforms amid an outcry about the presence of minors in nightclubs and allegations about inadequate emergency exits and overcrowding.

Ranking in at number three was another horrifying accident that occurred a month before. A Porsche 918 Spyder careened off the track and into spectators during the Paqpaqli Għall-Istrina motor show. Twenty-six people were injured, five critically.

The tragedy also made international headlines also because the driver and owner of the supercar was British tycoon Paul Bailey. The multimillionaire owns a large number of vehicles and had brought four supercars to the show free of charge to help collect money for L-Istrina, the main fundraiser of the Malta Community Chest Fund.

The fourth most read story reported Malta’s inclusion in a video by Isis, the hard-line Islamist group that proclaimed a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria. The video featured 60 flags, with Malta’s being the last, of countries, which the terror group branded a “coalition of devils”.

Queen Elizabeth arrived in Malta in November for a three-day visit for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Next was the story of a three-year-old boy who underwent surgery after he was seriously injured by a tiger that was being taken out for a “walk” by its handlers at Montekristo’s illegal zoo.

Queen Elizabeth II’s arrival in Malta for a three-day visit for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) also attracted thousands of views. The British media made much of the Queen’s “emotional visit” to Malta, with many citing it as probably being her last Commonwealth summit abroad. The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, had spent a happy two years living in Malta in the early 1950s.

Readers logged to timesofmalta.com to check out the roads listed on The Malta Government Gazette as being closed ahead of the Valletta Migration Summit, with many fearing traffic mayhem. The traffic arrangements were subsequently revised.

Hungarian student Daboma Jack was the victim of a racist attack after trying to instil some order in a chaotic queue of about 200 people waiting to register and top up their Tallinja card at the Valletta terminus.

Hungarian student Daboma Jack was the victim of a racist attack. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The hunting season was closed three days ahead of schedule after a bird was shot. A hunter was subsequently convicted. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Making it to the top 10 list was also an item announcing the closure of the hunting season three days ahead of schedule, a move ordered by the Prime Minister after a bird shot twice crashed bleeding into the yard of St Edward’s College, in Vittoriosa.

The hit-and-run accident which left German tourist Rainer Mader dead in Tower Road, Sliema, wrapped up the 10 most read stories in 2015. Mr Mader, a frequent visitor to the island, was deeply mourned by members of the Association of Model Engineers.

The blogosphere on timesofmalta.com also had its fair share of views, with digital editor Herman Grech, freelancer Joe Borg and Escape content editor Ramona Depares occupying the three topmost read blogs. Mr Grech’s take on the Daboma Jack incident under the heading ‘How dare a black man tell us to stand in line?’ landed the top spot with 32,000 unique page views.

The item was followed by Fr Borg’s piece titled ‘Today they shot at you’, which reacted to the terror attack on the headquarters of French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo.

In her blog post ‘It’s not just Fabrizio’, Ms Depares referred to singer Fabrizio Faniello opening up on prime time TV about his battle with drug addiction.