Twenty-six people were injured yesterday, five critically, after a supercar spun out of control during a charity show.
The Paqpaqli għall-Istrina motor show at the airport, organised in aid of the President’s Malta Community Chest Fund, was transformed from a fun family day out into a “terrifying scene”, when a Porsche 918 Spyder drove straight into a crowd of onlookers.
“It was absolutely terrifying, one minute we were watching the car zoom up and down the track, the next the car smashes into the crowd, people screaming for help.
“It was like a bomb had gone off,” Michael Mallia, 58, told the Times of Malta.
Eyewitnesses said the supercar was zooming down the temporary track set up along Park 4 of the airport in Ħal Farruġ when its left rear tyre seemed to lose traction, causing the car to swerve onto the tarmac.
Moments after the crash, people were heard calling for help, some screaming in agony. A number of people had been trapped between the supercar and other vehicles on static display beside the track.
Among the critically injured were a six-year-old girl and her mother, who sustained serious injuries to both her legs. The driver of the supercar, a foreigner, also sustained grievous injuries.
It was like a bomb had gone off
Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said 19 people had been rushed to Mater Dei Hospital and others with less severe injuries were taken to the nearby Paola Health Centre.
At least three surgical interventions were held last night.
Mr Fearne said that the incident required the authorities to respond in “national serious incident mode”.
A magisterial inquiry has been opened and the organisers of the event were yesterday seen in court to testify.
President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, who had been driven in the car earlier in the day, said the incident traumatised her.
Asked if the necessary safety precautions had been taken, she said that would be established by the authorities. She later added that the event was insured and the MCCF would provide for any care or treatment required.