A policeman at the scene of a gas cylinder explosion that occurred at the Half Way Bar in Rudolph Street, corner with Manwel Dimech Street, Sliema at about 4 a.m. yesterday, seriously injuring a 57-year-old man from Ta' Xbiex. The blast was powerful enough to send bricks flying into the street and to shatter the windows of parked cars and nearby buildings, including the police station a few metres away. The injured man was given first aid by policemen while firemen put out small fires. People living in apartments above the bar were evacuated as a precaution. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi