The Nepali motorcyclist killed when a lorry overturned in Marsa had come to Malta "with many dreams" and was planning a holiday home, according to a childhood friend.

Ajay Shrestha died on Wednesday morning when the lorry's load of scrap metal and a lampost hit his Kymco Agility motorbike as he was driving in the opposite direction on the Aldo Moro road.

He was taken to Mater Dei hospital but did not survive.

News of his death quickly spread among the Nepalese community in Malta and soon reached his home town of Gulariya, 4,000 miles away.

Ajay had been living in Malta since 2018. Photo: Facebook

Close family friend Aryan Khanal told Times of Malta he found out about the news when he opened Facebook and saw some posts.

"I saw the news and I just sobbed," he said. "My innocent brother had gone abroad with many dreams and this is what happened today. How can I calm my mind?"

He said Ajay - known as AJ to friends - had moved to Malta for work in 2018  and had been living with Nepali friends. He celebrated his 28th birthday just last week.

"He was just about to come to Nepal on holidays. I can't believe it," his friend said.

Ajay was a cricket player and coach.

He said the family, including Ajay's brother, Anil, who is also abroad in the United Arab Emirates, have few details about the actual incident and don't know how they will be able to repatriate the body.

The young man was a keen cricket player and coach, with friends saying he played for his region and district in Nepal.

His death was confirmed by Bhuwan Aryal, President of the Non-Residence Nepali Association Malta, on Wednesday afternoon after he was contacted by a Nepali nurse in Mater Dei.

"My dear friend Ajay Shrestha has lost his life in a vehicle accident while working," he wrote on Facebook.

There is a strong Nepali community in Malta, with some estimating there are around 3,000 living and working in the country. 

Members of the Nepali community gather at a vigil on Wednesday night. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Later on Wednesday, friends held a vigil near the crash site, where they lit candles and prayed.

As there is no Nepal Embassy in Malta, the association said it is in contact with their counterparts in London to sort out details to repatriate the body and that various organisations had already reached out to offer help.

"The community group is preparing all the documents necessary and are in contact with the Nepal Embassy in London to move forward to repatriate him to his family," he said.