Gregory O'Brien, 43, and his five-year-old son Logan died instantly after the dinghy they were travelling in was struck by a boat off Ġnejna Bay early on Sunday, an autopsy has concluded.

The post-mortem examination found that both father and son suffered catastrophic injuries to the head, brain, neck and chest after being hit by the fishing boat's propellers.

The tragedy unfolded at around 1am on Sunday as the pair were travelling in a dinghy after boarding it from a larger vessel anchored offshore. The dinghy was hit by a fishing boat being steered by a 43-year-old man from Rabat.

Civil Protection Department personnel recovered the bodies from the sea shortly after the collision. The dinghy sustained extensive damage in the impact.

Gregory O'Brien, who operated a boatyard in Xemxija, was well known and respected within Malta's boating community.

Logan's primary school in St Paul's Bay described the five-year-old as a cherished member of its school family, expressing its sorrow at the devastating loss.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud is leading a magisterial inquiry into the incident.