An MRI has shown that Dr Victor Calvagna is "brain dead", his wife Carmen said in a heartbreaking update on social media.

Calvagna, a well-known oncologist and president of Puttinu Cares, remains in critical condition after he was hit by a car in Qawra on Tuesday night.

His wife, Carmen, said on Thursday night that her husband's MRI results had come back and showed that he is "brain dead". "They will stop all treatment and let nature take its course",  she said.

In a social media post earlier in the day, Francesca Coleiro Calvagna said her father is still unconscious and intubated. “The tests done so far aren’t very positive My heart is broken. But I want to keep hope alive.”

She appealed to people to keep praying for her father “so that today’s MRI results will be a bit more positive and hopeful.”

In a social media post, Puttinu Cares also appealed for prayers for its founder. It said Victor Calvagna was the first Maltese children’s cancer doctor, and that he had increased the recovery rate to 80%.