The year which has just ended will be remembered as one in which human tragedy was never far away from public attention.

It did not take long for the first murder of the year to take place, as on 2 January Malta was shocked by the killing of a Polish girl who loved to feed cats at the Independence Gardens in Sliema, the place where she was found dead. It sparked amendments to our penal code to include the concept of femicide. 

In all, eight murders were committed in 2022, with the police charging people with the crime in all cases, which are still ongoing before Maltese courts.

The first road fatality of the year came even earlier, when an 80-year-old woman died after she was hit by a car in Hamrun on New Year’s Day.

It was the start of what was to be a terrible year for our roads, as a total of 26 people have died, many of them pedestrians or bikers, prompting the government to (finally) admit that the situation must be comprehensively addressed.

It was not an easy year for the construction industry, where eight men lost their life in accidents that took place on building sites.

The Malta Independent on Sunday looks back at these incidents that have changed the lives of many families.

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Construction industry deaths

Road fatalities

Murders