31-year-old volleyball player Oriana Bertolino has been identified as the victim of Saturday's horrific quad bike plunge at Wied Mielaħ in Gozo.

Tributes poured in on social media on Sunday, along with messages of shock, disbelief and condolences, as her family and friends learned about her death.

They hailed her as a "fantastic person who was always smiling" and as a volleyball player and coach who had "a brilliant career" and who loved animals and coaching children.

Others said her intelligence was unmatched, her soul gentle, and described her as "an excellent human and professional".

Bertolino died when a quad bike she was riding crashed off a cliff and into the sea along one side of scenic Wied il-Mielaħ in Għarb at around 8pm on Saturday.

The vehicle was being driven by a 47-year-old Italian man who, police said, lost control of it. He managed to jump to safety as the quad bike crashed over the cliff edge and into the sea but Bertolino, who was a passenger, fell into the sea.

Her body was recovered after a search, but she succumbed to her injuries.

It is understood she was in Malta on vacation.

Many heartbreaking messages came from the Sicilian town of Marsala, where Oriana hailed from.

Mayor Massimo Grillo announced the news on social media on Sunday, saying her death leaves an "empty void in the hearts of all who knew her".

"In these moments of pain I would like to express, on behalf of the municipal administration and all the citizens of Marsala, our most felt condolences and our closeness to Oriana's family," he wrote.

"May Oriana rest in peace and her family find the strength to deal with this enormous pain."

Two weeks ago, on her Facebook page, Bertolino posted a message about life choices, saying everyone should be peaceful in their own way.

"And that's all. Friends get married, live together and start families. I play the PlayStation, read a fantasy book a day, and save the animals. There is no such thing as "right" that goes for everyone. Everyone should be peaceful in their own way," she wrote.

Sources close to the investigation told Times of Malta on Sunday that the police and the Italian embassy in Malta informed her family about their daughter's tragic death and they are expected to come to Malta in the coming days.