Two passengers were killed and six were injured, one seriously, when abnormal waves hit the Maltese-flagged cruise ship Louis Majesty while it cruised in the Mediterranean, Transport Malta said this evening.

Louis Cruises, the Cypriot owners, said the ship was hit by eight-metre waves.

The authority's Merchant Shipping Directorate of Transport Malta is investigating the incident, which took place this afternoon.

The Authority said the ship was on passage from Barcelona to Genoa when it was hit by 'abnormal waves' which smashed a number of windows in the cafeteria located on deck 5. At the time of the incident there were more than 1,300 passengers and almost 600 crew aboard.

Two passengers were killed and six were injured. One is in serious condition. The passengers were German and Italian.

The ship is now on its way back to Barcelona.

The ship class surveyor and an inspector of the Merchant Shipping Directorate based in Spain will go on board this evening while two technical officials of the Merchant Shipping Directorate will arrive on the ship tomorrow (Thursday) to carry out the necessary investigations.

No Maltese nationals were reported to be among the passengers and crew.

The Louis Majesty was built in 1992 and in 1999 underwent extensive renovation. It has a tonnage of 40,000 and is 207 metres long. The ship has 731 cabins and suites and can carry 1,790 passengers.