The driver who was driving the double-decker bus involved in Monday's tragedy in Zurrieq was fully licensed, and the bus was certified for service, Transport Minister Ian Borg told parliament on Tuesday.

Two tourists died and 50 were injured, four of them critically when the bus crashed into a tree. The driver, 24, was arrested after being treated for shock.

Dr Borg and Health Minister Chris Fearne gave a joint statement to the House and expressed their condolences.

Mr Fearne explained that an action plan for major accidents of this nature had kicked in immediately, with several off-duty medical personnel beating him to Mater Dei Hospital to offer their assistance whilst ensuring minimal delay to day-to-day operations.

He explained how 19 passengers were given medical assistance at Paola Health Centre and the rest at hospital. Seven are still in hospital. 

A magisterial inquiry is underway.

Mr Fearne said that contact had been made with the embassies of the 14 countries whose nationals were injured and they were being kept abreast of developments.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia also expressed his condolences. He said it was  crucial to demonstrate the country’s ability to respond to crises such as these, when Malta was put under a spotlight.

Opposition MP Mario de Marco called for at least some open-top sightseeing routes to be suspended until health and safety authorities could confirm that these routes were completely safe. This would signal that the incident was being taken seriously by the competent authorities. He questioned whether Transport Malta had taken any action to ensure the safety of such routes in the wake of the accident.

Opposition MP Robert Arrigo called for a task-force to be established in order to deal with the situation and to cushion Malta’s reputation from any international fallout that might result.

Nationalist MP Tony Bezzina, called for stock to be taken of all obstacles posing similar risks on Maltese roads.