Updated 7.45am

A bus driver was grievously injured and hundreds of others caught in long lines of traffic in the north of Malta on Friday evening, following a collision between a car and a bus that forced a prolonged closure of Selmun Hill.

A Malta Public Transport spokesperson said that the crash was caused by a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road that ended up colliding with a bus.

The collision happened at around 6.40pm when a Mercedes C220D driven by a 56-year-old Mosta man smashed into a bus.

The bus driver, who is 39 and from Ħamrun, was grievously injured in the crash. The Mercedes driver suffered slight injuries. Both were taken to Mater Dei Hospital by ambulance.

A third car, a Fiat Cinquecento, was also damaged but its driver, who is 36 and lives in St Paul's Bay, escaped unscathed. 

Traffic piled up in the area and three hours after the accident people were still complaining they were at a standstill.

Road users posting to social media said that cars headed from Mellieħa to Xemxija were being diverted through Miżieb, and shared photos of gridlock stretching all the way to the Mellieħa bypass. 

The Mellieħa local council advised people to avoid the area and shared a photo of the accident site.

According to local Facebook page Maltese Road Traffic Updates, the road was still closed to traffic at 1.45am, hours later.

An MPT spokesperson said that after reporting the accident to the authorities, its control room launched an internal investigation.

"CCTV footage shows a black vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road and colliding into the front of the bus," the spokesperson added.

"The company is informed that the bus driver was injured and taken to hospital by an ambulance. While our thoughts are with the injured people at this time, the company would like to thank the authorities for their immediate response and assistance."