The family of Ishmael Muscat, the Maltese cyclist killed in a traffic accident in China, said today that it is still 'struggling' to bring the body to Malta.

Muscat died when he as run over by a car in Hefei, where he lived and taught English.

The family said the problem stems from an initial report by the police which blamed him for the accident.

But his Chinese wife, Xu Mei, managed to get hold of a shop's CCTV footage which showed that Muscat's bicycle was actually hit by a car which was being driven at such high speed that the driver could not stop the vehicle running over him.

The family said Xu Mei was refusing to accept the police report because this would mean that she and his family will lose all rights to claim damages. She has decided to accompany the body to Malta when it is released by the Hefei police.

Last week the family wrote to the Foreign Minister George Vella and  Prime Minister Joseph Muscat seeking assistance. Following Dr Vella's intervention, an official from the Malta Embassy in Beijing, Mark Bezzina will fly to Hefei today to assist Xu Mei in her talks with the police. 

The family thanked Dr Vella who, it said, called twice at their home to assure them of his support. It also thanked Dr Muscat, the Malta embassy staff, the Chinese Embassy in Malta  and Reno Calleja, president of the Malta China Friendship Society.