Two freak accidents that left scores of people injured dominated timesofmalta.com's readership statistics in 2015: the Paceville club stampede and the supercar crash during Paqpaqli Għall-Istrina shocked the nation, together notching up over 329,000 unique page views.
In November, 74 young people were injured in an incident at the Plus One club in the country’s entertainment mecca when a glass banister collapsed under the weight of scores of patrons attempting to leave at once. Two girls, including a 13-year-old, were critically injured.
Readers intensely followed the story as it unfolded, with the second most followed item being a dramatic video depicting the crush.
Ranking in at number three was another horrifying accident that occurred a month before. A Porsche 918 Spyder careened off the track and into spectators during the Paqpaqli Għall-Istrina motor show. Twenty-six people were injured, five critically.
The fourth most read story reported the inclusion of a Maltese flag in a video branded the "coalition of devils" by the terror group Isis.
Next was the story of a three-year-old boy who underwent surgery after he was seriously injured by a tiger at Montekristo’s illegal zoo.
Queen Elizabeth II’s arrival in Malta for a three-day visit for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) also attracted thousands of views.
Readers logged to timesofmalta.com to check out the list of roads that were listed on the Government Gazette as being closed ahead of the Valletta Migration Summit, with many fearing traffic mayhem. The traffic arrangements were subsequently revised.
Hungarian student Daboma Jack was the victim of a racist attack after trying to put some order in a chaotic queue of about 200 people waiting to register and top up their Tallinja card at the Valletta terminus.
Making it to the top 10 list was also an item announcing the closure of the hunting season three days ahead of schedule, a move ordered by the Prime Minister after a bird shot twice crashed bleeding into the yard of St Edward’s College.
The hit-and-run accident which left German tourist Rainer Mader dead in Tower Road, Sliema, wrapped up the 10 most read stories in 2015.
The blogosphere on timesofmalta.com also had its fair share of views, with digital editor Herman Grech, freelancer Fr Joe Borg and Escape content editor Ramona Depares occupying the three topmost read blogs.
Mr Grech’s take on the Daboma Jack incident under the heading ‘How dare a black man tell us to stand in line?’ landed the top spot with 32,000 unique page views.
The item was followed by Fr Borg’s piece titled ‘Today they shot at you’, which reacted to the terror attack on the headquarters of French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo.
In her blog post ‘It’s not just Fabrizio’, Ms Depares referred to the story when singer Fabrizio Faniello opened up on prime time TV about his battle with drug addiction.
Most viewed foreign news stories
1. Shots fired as police swoop in on Paris suburb
2. Dozens killed in Paris attacks; Hollande declares emergency
3. Islamic State declares threatens attack on Washington, other states
Most viewed sport stories
1. Birkirkara's Mazzetti impresses West Ham
2. Agony for Birkirkara as West Ham beat them in penalty shoot-out
3. Malta to face England in World Cup qualifiers
Most viewed Times Talk
1. The supercar acccident - what went wrong?
2. The deadliest hijack in Malta. Why did it go so wrong?
3. Strip clubs are mushrooming in Malta. Is it a case of 'anything goes'?
Most viewed opinions
1. Gay is the new hunter by Ivan Fenech
2. A day in the life of a Maltese Facebooker by Kristina Chetcuti
3. Speak up by Kristina Chetcuti