A young man has died and a teenaged girl is critical after the car they were in crashed into a wall in Luqa, the police said.

The man, aged 21, of St Julian's, lost control of the BMW 320 CD Sport he was driving, with the vehicle crashing into the wall in Council of Europe Road on Saturday at 1am.

The car ended up in a field on the side of the road, the police said.

The man, Ismael Grima, was certified dead on site.

A 19-year-old girl from Qormi who was with him in the vehicle was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A magisterial inquiry is being led by Magistrate Ian Farrugia.