A man has been taken to hospital after he was shot in the chest in Iklin.

A police spokesperson told The Malta Independent on site said that police were first informed of a collision between two vehicles, but that a Rapid Intervention Unit team which was in the area found a man on site some way from the accident who had been shot once in the right shoulder area. 

The incident took place at around 3:45pm in Triq il-Wied.

The spokesperson said that it seemed that an argument between the two men had followed the accident, which ended in one man getting a gun out of his car and shooting the other man.

The victim is a 55-year-old man from Naxxar, the police said, and he is currently being operated upon at Mater Dei Hospital. His injuries were later described as 'grievous.'

The alleged shooter meanwhile is a 24-year-old man from Iklin, and he was arrested on site by the same Rapid Intervention Unit.

A shotgun was found on site, and investigations will confirm whether this was the weapon used. 

The spokesperson said that three shots were fired, but only one hit the victim.

Pictures taken on site by this newsroom show that a collision had taken place between two vehicles: it is understood that one vehicle was following another, and the scene shows that one car, a Peugeot 208, seemed to have been pushed into the pavement, although a police spokesperson could not confirm or deny this theory, saying simply that investigations are ongoing. The second car involved was a Toyota Tercel.

Blood spatter on the wall and the pavement, and a pair of flip-flops, some 50 metres down the road (as seen above) indicates that the alleged shooter gave chase to the victim before firing three shots at him - which are distinctly shown on the wall.

A witness who was driving through the road at the time of the incident told The Malta Independent that he had seen the two men in a very heated argument after the accident.

Police were seen going from house to house seeking CCTV footage of the area.

Residents posting to social media said they had been instructed to stay inside till police cleared the scene.

Magistrate Nadine Lia is leading an inquiry.

The Major Crimes Unit is investigating the case.