Paphos police launched investigations on Saturday after five people, including a 12-year-old boy, were hospitalised following a multi-vehicle traffic accident.

According to a Paphos police spokesman, the accident occurred at 8.45pm on Friday when the car of a 21-year-old man with a 24-year-old man as a passenger, under conditions that are being investigated, entered the opposite lane on Apostolos Pavlos Avenue in Kato Paphos.

The car collided head-on with another vehicle driven by a 38-year-old woman from Paphos, with her 12-year-old son as a passenger.

The 21-year-old then crashed into another vehicle driven by a 19-year-old man.

Police said all five passengers of the three vehicles were transferred to the accident and emergency department of Paphos General Hospital.

They sustained various minor injuries.

Due to the accident, there was traffic congestion on the central avenue of Paphos, police said.

Paphos traffic police are investigating the causes of the accident.