Tragedy in Malta – the power of the sea that must not be underestimated

On 28 January this year, the body of a 13-year-old Polish girl was found after she had been swept away by high waves two days earlier from the waterfront in the town of Ċirkewwa in Malta. Sadly, this is not the first time the sea has gone beyond the limits of human imagination, demonstrating its unpredictability. Admiring storms can be extremely dangerous.

A family tragedy in Malta

Thirteen-year-old Oliwia was walking on a Monday afternoon with her brother and father along the popular Paradise Bay waterfront in Ċirkewwa, at the northern tip of the island. The entire family was standing behind a railing intended to guarantee the safety of passers-by. However, a gigantic wave surged onto the promenade and swept the girl away. The father, who together with his son was slammed against a wall, tried to save his daughter but unsuccessfully.

Rescue teams supported by helicopters and drones searched for the missing Polish girl for two days. The operation was hampered by rough seas and exceptionally strong winds. On Wednesday morning, divers found the teenager’s body near the site of the tragedy. The sad news was announced to the media by Malta’s interior minister, Byron Camilleri.

A dangerous place, no warnings

Immediately after the accident involving the Polish family, Maltese authorities appealed to tourists to keep a safe distance from the rough sea and to avoid exposed coastal areas. Difficult weather conditions on the island may persist until the end of the week.

The incident was commented on by Tabone Ferrante, who experienced a similar moment of terror in 2021. The man was walking with his partner along a street on the southern waterfront when an enormous wave unexpectedly struck them near a pedestrian crossing. We were 50 to 60 metres from the sea. The sea was rough, but not like it was last Monday, and the place we were walking was completely dry, he told the Times of Malta. The woman was knocked to the ground and suffered injuries to her face, hands and knees.

According to Tabone Ferrante, warning signs should be installed along the waterfront. The mayor of Mellieħa, Gabriel Micallef, confirmed that the area is known for huge waves caused by prevailing winds and the location of the promenade. They break through breakwaters, flooding pavements and streets, and there have already been cases of parked cars being dragged away.

Waves that kill

The tragedy that took place in Malta is unfortunately not an isolated case, raising questions about how storm-prone promenades are secured and about rules of conduct during periods when the sea is exceptionally rough.

In December in Tenerife, three people died and 15 were injured after a wave surged into a natural pool formed in a rocky shoreline and swept away people bathing there. Rescue services managed to pull one person from the ocean. A month earlier, on the pier in Puerto de la Cruz, a huge wave pushed ten people into the water, and one could not be saved.

The Reynisfjara beach on the southern coast of Iceland is also notorious. In August 2025, a family visiting a local cave was trapped by the rising tide, and one of the larger waves surged inside and swept away a nine-year-old girl. The child drowned. Three years earlier, in the same place, the sea attacked a married couple. Only the woman was rescued. After the latest incident, authorities decided to regulate access to the famous basalt columns by the beach using a red light.

At the beginning of January, a tragedy also shook the English town of Withernsea on the east coast of Yorkshire. An unexpected wave swept a woman and her 15-year-old daughter from the beach, and a 67-year-old man rushed to their aid. Unfortunately, all three died.