A 30-year-old man from Birżebbuġa was hospitalised with serious injuries after being involved in a traffic accident in Tarxien early on Sunday morning, the police said in a statement.

The accident happened at around 12.30am in Triq Tal-Barrani.

Preliminary investigations showed that the man was driving a Toyota Auris when he crashed into a tree, with the vehicle catching fire shortly afterwards, the police statement said.

People passing through the area managed to pull the driver out of the vehicle before the fire started, it said.

Members of the Civil Protection Department and a medical team assisted the man at the scene before he was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance, where he was certified as suffering from serious injuries.

Police investigations are ongoing. 

Photo credit: Communcations Office, Malta Police Force