A community nurse was stabbed and seriously injured in Qormi by a man who was still on the run late last night.

The incident took place just after 6pm down an alley in Wied Is-Sewda, in an area of Qormi known as Ta’ Farsina.

The woman, 44, was with an 18-year-old colleague in a car belonging to the Malta Memorial District Nursing Association (MMDNA), a non-profit organisation that offers community nursing and midwifery services.

Police sources said the man, said to be a 33-year-old from Santa Venera, was sitting in the back seat of the Peugeot 106 and was being given a lift to Qormi.

It is not clear whether the victim knew the assailant well but sources said an argument broke out between them in the car as it was parked in the alley.

The two of them then got out of the car and continued to argue.

The younger nurse got out as well and ran towards the housing estate to call for help. It was at this point that the man allegedly slashed the woman with what the police said was a sharp instrument, according to the sources.

The nurse fell to the ground and started losing a lot of blood. She was still conscious when the ambulance arrived and was rushed to hospital. She is believed to have sustained facial and abdominal injuries.

She is not, however, in a critical condition, the police said.

The man fled the scene on foot and the police mounted a search for him in Qormi and the neighbouring localities of Birkirkara, Ħamrun and Santa Venera.

They went to several addresses, including those of family members, but until late last night had still not managed to trace him.

The man’s brother told the police he had received a call from him soon after the incident.

The signal from his mobile placed him in an area between Qormi and Santa Venera. However, the phone was then switched off, sources said.

They said the man was involved in a similar incident last year: he has been charged with trying to kill his former girlfriend by slashing her in the face and neck.