Updated 7.20 p.m.

Gozo Channel this evening blamed passengers for an incident where a ferry's ramp was reportedly raised while there were passengers on it.

timesofmalta.com reported earlier this afternoon that a  number of passengers rushed to get on or off the ramp of the MV Malita as it started being raised while they were walking on it.

The incident happened at Cirkewwa at 1.45 p.m. 

One passenger described the scene as 'akin to what happens in a third world country'.

He said that arguments broke out, with passengers protesting to crew and Gozo Channel staff on the quay who, he said, acted like nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

No one was injured.

Gozo Channel could not immediately comment on the incident. 

However in a press statement in the evening, the ferry company said that from its initial enquiries it appeared that some passengers attempted to stop the MV Malita from departing by getting on the ramp just as it started being raised, apparently in order to delay the trip  so that other passengers could board.

"The passengers were directed to clear the ramp and it was raised after the passengers did so This does not appear to have been a case of the ramp being raised while passengers were still on it, but one where passengers attempted to access the ramp after it started being raised, which, had the appropriate steps not been taken, would have resulted in danger to said passengers," Gozo Channel said.

It added that it would investigate the incident to ensure that all the required safety standards and procedures were observed and that the actions taken ensured that passenger safety was never put at risk.