One of the main opera singers in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette was taken to hospital with serious injuries sustained while rehearsing a duel scene at the Manoel Theatre on Wednesday night.

Alejandro Gallo, 28, who is playing Mercutio, one of the leading roles, was injured in what appears to be a freak accident when a rehearsal of the famous sword fight with the actor playing Tybalt went horribly wrong.

The incident happened in a split second when the tip of Tybalt's sword hit Mr Gallo in the face. He was detained in hospital and his condition was yesterday described as "stable". Mr Gallo is a well-known baritone, having performed all over the world, including at the Manoel Theatre last year alongside Miriam Gauci.

Roméo et Juliette is set to open this year's Bank of Valletta opera festival, to be performed in Malta for the first time on March 16 and 18. It is not yet known whether the show will go on as planned.

The opera is made up mostly of a Maltese cast. It also features renowned tenor Joseph Calleja and soprano Tatiana Lisnic under the musical direction of Michael Laus.

In line with procedure, duty Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera ordered an inquiry into the incident and the Valletta police are investigating.