12 people drowned in Maltese waters in 2016, many of them foreigners, according to information tabled in Parliament.

The information was given by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela in reply to a parliamentary question by PL MP Anthony Agius Decelis.

The first drowning took place in Qala, Gozo, on New Year’s Day, claiming the lives of a Polish couple, and the last case occurred on 27 December, when an Englishman died in Msida.

The nationalities were; 3 Poles, 2 Germans, 1 Slovak, 1 Hungarian, 1 Dutch, 1 Englishman and three Maltese. Nine of the victims were men. The youngest victim was 17 Hungarian national and the oldest was a 78-year-old German man. Six of the cases took place in Gozo and one took place in Comino.

Replying to supplementary questions, Mr Abela said migrant drownings usually happen in international waters, not in Maltese territorial waters.

 Replying to another PQ by the same MP, Mr Abela said 23 people lost their lives in separate traffic accidents during 2016. 19 were Maltese nationals. The rest were from the UK (1), Libya, the Netherlands (1) and an unspecified foreign country. 17 of the victims were men.

The youngest victim was a 17-year-old Maltese girl and the oldest was a 97-year-old Maltese man.