A Maltese teacher killed in a traffic collision in Scotland this week died on her birthday, her family has revealed. 

'A loving wife, caring mother and grandmother': Frances Saliba Patanè.

Frances Saliba Patanè was one of five people killed in a late-night collision between a minibus and a car in Moray last Thursday. She was a passenger in the minibus and was on holiday at the time.

Birżebbuġa-born and raised, Ms Patanè eventually moved to Syracuse, where she worked as an English teacher, after marrying an Italian man.

Ms Patanè had gone on holiday to Scotland to celebrate her 63rd birthday, her family revealed in a statement they passed on to Scottish police.

“She was a loving wife and a caring mother and grandmother,” the family said.

“She was respected and esteemed for the passion and the devotion she used to dedicate to her job.”

The family thanked staff at Aberdeen's Royal Infirmary Hospital, where Ms Patanè was being treated before succumbing to her injuries.

As well as Ms Patanè, the midnight crash claimed the lives of four other people, including that of a four-year-old child who was also seated in the minibus.

Three Scottish women riding in the car which was involved in the collision were killed in the crash, while the vehicle’s driver was seriously injured. The women were returning home after a country music night, British media reported.

Officers investigating the crash have made an appeal for witnesses who may have recorded the crash on their dashcams to come forward.