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.
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.
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.”
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