A young Somali migrant was beaten up and then accidentally run over by a motorcycle on Monday night in Ħal Far Road, Birżebbuġa, close to a hangar being used to house migrants.

The victim was riding his bicycle together with a Somali friend at about 12.15 p.m. when three aggressors stopped, got out of a car and beat him up. His friend ran off to get help and got away uninjured, the police said yesterday.

A couple of policemen who happened to be in the vicinity saw the victim lying on the floor and stopped to administer first aid. But it was not the victim's lucky day.

A motorcyclist who saw the police car's blue lights on thought there was a roadblock and drove on the side of the road, accidentally running over the legs of the beaten man who he could not see, the police said.

The victim was taken to hospital in a critical condition, suffering mostly from head injuries. Although he is not in intensive care, his condition is still considered critical because his injuries can worsen.

The police have questioned the Somali who was with the victim at the time but they could not confirm the nationality of the aggressors or what motivated the incident.