A motorcyclist - as yet unidentified - was seriously injured when he crashed into a metal barrier on Triq il-Marina, Pietà at around 2.30pm on Tuesday.

The man, who was driving a Yamaha, is the fifth traffic accident victim reported within 24 hours.

Early on Tuesday, an 81-year-old Tarxien woman was seriously injured when she was hit by a Suzuki Swift car in Triq Santu Wistin.

Two hours later, an 89-year-old woman was hit by a Toyota Cami while crossing Triq Mons De Piro in Ħamrun.

Within 15 minutes, a Turkish man was hit by a Yamaha motorbike on Triq ix-Xatt, Gżira.

And on Monday night - at around 9.30pm - a 30-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured when he fell off his vehicle on Valletta Road, Żurrieq.

On Sunday six people - involved in three separate accidents - were hospitalised.

As a result of the influx of emergency cases over a short period, scheduled orthopaedic surgeries planned for Tuesday had to be postponed.

A health ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta that operations were expected to resume as scheduled on Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, one man died and another man suffered grievous injuries in separate falls. 

In the first accident, a 76-year-old man died after falling off the roof of his house in Vjal Simmons, Tarxien.

Less than an hour later, a construction worker - as yet unidentified - was grievously injured in a three-storey fall in Sliema.