A tour bus operator has said it is “shocked and saddened” by a crash in Malta that left two people dead and three Britons, including two children, seriously injured.

City Sightseeing said the “tragic event” had involved a vehicle operated by a franchise holder on the island and it was seeking the “full facts” of what happened.

A Spanish woman and a Belgian man were killed after the double-decker vehicle crashed into a tree in Zurrieq, in the south of the country on Monday afternoon.

Branches lie on the ground after the crash (Rene Rossignaud/AP)
Branches lie on the ground after the crash (Rene Rossignaud/AP)

Local authorities said the three Britons, two boys aged six and eight and a 44-year-old man, were among six people taken to hospital.

The other three are a 31-year-old German woman, a 72-year-old Italian woman and a 35-year-old-man whose nationality remains unknown.

On Facebook, the Malta Police Force said: “These persons were also certified as suffering from grievous injuries.”

Officers were called to the Valletta Road at around 4.15pm local time and the force said a preliminary investigation showed the 24-year-old man driving the bus had lost control before crashing into a tree.

Update 3: Kindly note that Valletta Road has been re-opened for normal traffic flow.Update 2: The 2 people who were…

Posted by The Malta Police Force on Monday, April 9, 2018

Police said their investigation is ongoing.

City Sightseeing said it was “communicating with our franchise operator with a view to establishing the full facts of the situation”.

A spokesman for the Seville-based operator said: “We are shocked and saddened to learn that a vehicle operated by our Maltese franchise holder has been involved in a serious accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this tragic event.”

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting British people and their families involved in the bus incident in Malta.”