The 21-year-old man who died in the Qormi fireworks' factory explosion on Monday evening was yesterday meant to sit for his government clerk examination.

Damian Agius was working as a temporary clerk at the law courts with Magistrate Saviour Demicoli and wanted to sit for the exam to get a full-time post, explained his friend Ray Abdilla.

"When I met him in court on Monday morning he told me he really hoped he would do well in the exam because he wanted to work as a full-time clerk at the law courts," Mr Abdilla, a court reporter for the media organisation Medialink, said.

Mr Abdilla said he was shocked to learn Mr Agius was one of the two victims of the Qormi blast.

Mr Agius, an avid fireworks enthusiast, and his fireworks "mentor" Fredu Stellini, 56, both died in the explosion that occurred at the St Sebastian fireworks factory at about 6.15 p.m.

Their bodies were found at about midnight underneath the concrete roof of the room they were working in.

Mr Stellini was an experienced fireworks' enthusiast who was working together with Mr Agius, a spokesman for the St Sebastian Youth Committee said.

The two worked as a team to prepare the fireworks for the feast of St Sebastian in July and for the St Publius ground fireworks festival in Floriana.

Mr Agius, the second of three brothers, had a passion for ground fireworks and for the feast of St Sebastian. On his Facebook page, he listed his religious views as "Bastjaniż". He also formed part of the Malta Fireworks' Lovers Hi5 group.

"Damian's love for fireworks and St Sebastian was obvious. He'd speak about them to anyone he met, even for the first time," his friend Ruth Zammit said.

She described him as a quiet boy who was not a typical 20-year-old because fireworks were a priority in his life.

Committee representative James Piscopo said Mr Agius was very active in the organisation of the St Sebastian feast.

"He helped out in the fireworks, street decorations, bell ringing and, particularly, within the youth committee itself, of which he was deputy chairman for some time. He was also a close follower of Qormi football club," he said.

The young man had a fireworks licence and was working towards upgrading it with the help of Mr Stellini, a committee spokesman said.

Mr Stellini, a father of three, had been working at the fireworks factory for about 20 years. He worked on an oil rig in India, so was away from the island for months at a time. But he always returned to the factory when in Malta. Mr Piscopo said Mr Agius, who used to be called Djamant (diamond), had good prospects in the manufacture of ground fireworks.

Mr Stellini, on the other hand, was a family man and an expert in the production of fireworks.

"We were sure this chain of experience and enthusiasm would have yielded good results... The Lord wanted to summon them early to enjoy their spectacle well before the ground fireworks festival," Mr Piscopo said.

The commission thanked the two men for their generosity and for the passion they had for the feast of St Sebastian. Various parish organisations also expressed solidarity with the victims' families. These included the St George parish representatives.

The funeral Mass will be held today at St Sebastian church at 3 p.m. It will be followed by a funeral cortege accompanied by the St Sebastian band.