A 50-year-old man from Marsascala was injured when an air hose burst at a private shipyard in Marsa yesterday.

The accident happened at Cassar Ship Repair in Triq is-Salib just after 12 noon and sources close to the investigation said an air compressor was being used during works on a vessel.

Civil Protection Department personnel where on site to check for any dangerous gases but none were detected, the sources said.

Occupational health and safety officers were also on site. CEO Mark Gauci said his officials went there, as was the norm in such cases, to check whether there had been any breach of health and safety rules.

We thank God there were no serious injuries

A number of police cars and an ambulance were also called on site and the road was briefly closed to traffic. Bystanders and neighbours who spoke to this newspaper said a loud noise led some to believe there had been an explosion. Others admitted they had heard nothing.

When contacted, a company spokeswoman said preliminary information indicated there was an air explosion on board a vessel.

“We thank God there were no serious injuries and we would like to thank the police, the Civil Protection Department, paramedics and the maritime authorities for their immediate intervention,” she said.