A man in his 20s is expected to be charged over Wednesday's hit-and-run incident in Attard during which two young sisters were injured, one of them, Rebecca Falzon, requiring intensive care.
The white Peugeot Partner van believed to have been involved in the accident was found by the police yesterday morning in Marsa. Sources said they tracked down the van through footage taken by CCTV cameras. The driver, from Marsa, was taken in for questioning.
Rebecca and her twin sister, Sarah Marie, 11, were crossing the road after leaving the Attard quarters of the Christian Doctrine Society - MUSEUM when they were hit by a van, which drove on.
The two girls were on the zebra crossing and their father was waiting for them across the street. Witnesses spotted the van and a boy provided the police with a registration number which, however, turned out to be incorrect.
The twins' grandfather, Frans Falzon, said Sarah Marie underwent surgery to her leg, which was broken and twisted in the accident. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Mr Falzon said that, although Rebecca remained in intensive care, she started reacting yesterday. The girls' father was in shock after seeing his two daughters being run over.
The twins, who attend the Junior Lyceum in Attard, loved reading and playing computer games, Mr Falzon said, adding they were not identical. "You don't realise they are twins although they look the same age," he said.
The Attard local council will be discussing the accident at its next meeting, deputy mayor Stefan Cordina said.
Asked whether the council would consider moving the zebra crossing, which is just metres from the corner with the busy Mdina Road, Mr Cordina said this would be discussed and if the council decided in favour it would broach the matter with the transport authority.
Ħal Warda Street, where the accident occurred, is closed in the mornings and afternoons when children start and finish school located there. Asked whether the council would consider closing the street also during MUSEUM hours, Mr Cordina said this too would be discussed.
According to the 2002 Central Malta Local Plan, a bypass was expected to be built in the outskirts of Attard, which should relieve the traffic through Mdina Road.