{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreialgqc7zkxuuheh4yjsgshxbcee74uuoxcir4x73qx7f5sscq454i",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnaqwujlxhv2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreifol7udcgt5hrconb64zr4ac6m57qszymxs5b7xrkmxiscownqwsm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/png",
    "size": 125406
  },
  "path": "/news/world/malta-travel-warning-fireworks-factory-explosion",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-01T18:02:59.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "British soldier dies in Iraq as MoD confirms tragic accident",
    "Britons to be targeted with DRONES in holiday hotspot as police launch crackdown on sunbed reservers",
    "Over 750 arrested and 219 people injured after PSG Champions League celebrations",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA powerful blast ripped through a fireworks factory in Malta, leaving two men requiring hospital treatment and prompting the UK Foreign Office to issue an urgent warning to British travellers.\n\nThe explosion occurred at Ta' Lourdes fireworks factory in Malta's Magħtab region earlier today at approximately 6.30am local time.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBoth casualties, aged 67 and 47, sustained minor injuries after being caught in nearby fields when the blast struck.\n\nNeither man worked at the facility, and police confirmed no licensed factory employees were present at the time.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Foreign Office advised Britons to avoid the Magħtab/Mosta area whilst emergency services remain active, urging visitors to heed local authority guidance.\n\nA dog walker in Kennedy Grove provided a harrowing account of the incident, describing an initial bang followed by three further explosions in rapid succession, roughly five minutes later.\n\nThe witness told local media: \"The blasts were so powerful I actually felt my hair move from the pressure wave, and all the trees around us shook.\n\n\"My dogs completely lost it. I've never been so scared in my life for a moment I genuinely thought we were being bombed.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nResidents across multiple localities reported hearing the detonation from several kilometres away, with many describing how the shockwave rattled buildings throughout the island.\n\nThe witness observed smashed windows and façade material torn from nearby structures.\n\nMalta's Prime Minister Robert Abela expressed concern for those affected and confirmed Government officials and emergency personnel had been dispatched to the scene immediately.\n\nOpposition leader Alex Borg expressed gratitude to security forces operating in the Salini area.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * British soldier dies in Iraq as MoD confirms tragic accident\n  * Britons to be targeted with DRONES in holiday hotspot as police launch crackdown on sunbed reservers\n  * Over 750 arrested and 219 people injured after PSG Champions League celebrations\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe described the incident as one that had \"shocked the country\" and extended his sympathies to all those affected by the explosion.\n\nEuropean Parliament President Roberta Metsola, herself Maltese, described being deeply affected by a blast that had \"shocked our country.\"\n\nShe paid particular tribute to Civil Protection teams and all responders working \"in these difficult circumstances\".\n\nThe blast claimed the lives of numerous animals in the surrounding agricultural area, with birds, rabbits and dairy cows all being killed.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLocal farmers and breeders reported significant structural damage to their properties.\n\nMalta's Animal Welfare Directorate mobilised its teams to the explosion site this morning, positioning resources to assist any surviving animals once conditions permitted safe access.\n\nThe directorate acknowledged the wider impact on injured individuals, nearby residents, workers and the farming community.\n\nIt cautioned other services may face minor delays as the majority of its personnel focused on responding to what it termed an urgent situation.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Massive fireworks factory explosion sees two hospitalised as Britons issued urgent Malta travel warning"
}