The Maltese islands were shaken on the night of 3^rd February, 1995, when an explosion wrecked through a tanker being serviced at the Malta Dockyards, costing the lives of nine Maltese men.

The Um El Faroud, a Libyan tanker, had been built 26 years earlier in England and transported fuel between Libya and Italy. In Malta for scheduled repairs, everything appeared normal until around 10.30pm, when an accumulation of flammable material ignited and tore through the front and middle section of the tanker.

The tragedy claimed the lives of Simon Pisani, 22, George Aquilina, 25, Simon Mifsud, 27, Anthony Vassallo, 30, Paul Seguna, 37, Mario Hales, 40, Carmelo Callus, 47, Angelo Sciberras, 52, and George Xuereb, 58.

The blast was so severe that the Libyan tanker was written off. It remained docked for almost three years, until a decision was made to scuttle the ship off the Zurrieq coastline in 1998.

Now, the site has become one of the most popular tourist and diving attractions on the island. The Um El Faroud sits at a depth of 36m southwest of Wied il-Qrendi, with the top of the wreckage's bridge lying just 18m below surface.

Wander through the Um el Faroud through the stunning underwater footage below: