British backpacker Amelia Bambridge died by drowning, officials in Cambodia have confirmed a day after her body was found floating at sea.
Miss Bambridge disappeared after attending a beach party on the island of Koh Rong nine days ago and her body was discovered more than 30 miles away yesterday.
Today an autopsy on the mainland in Sihanoukville found that the 21 – year-old had drowned, as was feared.
British backpacker Amelia Bambridge (pictured) died by drowning, officials in Cambodia have confirmed a day after her body was found floating at sea
Linda Schultes, the mother of Amelia Bambridge, arrives in a van at the Sihanoukville Referral Hospital on the Cambodian mainland where the autopsy took place today
Members of Amelia’s family arrive at the hospital today for the post-mortem examination a day after the 21 – year-old’s body was found floating at sea
Harry Bambridge (pictured), the brother of Amelia Bambridge, said yesterday that he had identified the body as it was taken back to the mainland for an autopsy
Mr Bambridge posted this emotional tribute on Facebook after identifying the body
Search and rescue teams retrieve the body of missing British backpacker Amelia Bambridge yesterday after it was discovered near the Thai border
Vigil: Last night some of Amelia Bambridge’s relatives who are still in the UK held a vigil for her near her home in Worthing, West Sussex
Comfort: People embrace at the vigil in England last night, which was held seven days since Amelia was last seen at a beach party in Cambodia
A map showing where Amelia Bambridge was last seen on October 23 and the approximate location where her body was found floating in the sea on Thursday
The body was taken to the main hospital in Sihanoukville today for the post-mortem examination.
Forensic police, a hospital doctor, a court prosecutor, a representative of the British Embassy and members of Amelia’s family were all expected to attend.
Miss Bambridge’s relatives had joined a huge search operation in Cambodia after Amelia, 21 , was reported missing on October 24.
Her body was discovered by fishermen floating among rocks in the Gulf of Thailand yesterday.
Police concluded it was Miss Bambridge based on her Western appearance, a tattoo on her body and the clothes she was wearing on the night she was last seen.
Her family was with Cambodian authorities when rescuers found the body yesterday, police said.
Yesterday her heartbroken brother paid an emotional tribute to his sister after she was found dead.
Harry Bambridge confirmed Amelia’s identity as the body was taken back to the mainland for today’s autopsy.
‘I’ve just seen her and I can confirm it’s my little sister Amelia,’ Mr Bambridge wrote on Facebook.
‘I’m so sorry to all her friends and family there’s nothing more I wanted than to bring her back alive and I really f ****** tried.
‘And I’m sorry to you Amelia Bambridge, the round is on me when we meet again in heaven.’
Sister Sharon Schultes joined him in praising Amelia’s ‘beautiful soul’, while also recounting the ‘horrific’ moment she learned the news.
Writing on the family’s fundraising page , she said: ‘It breaks my heart to let all my close family and friends know the horrendous outcome that we didn’t want.
‘ Now we have to get our Amelia back home to England so we can lay her beautiful soul to rest and to remember the wonderful life she lived.
‘Thank you for all the support we’ve had, please continue to do all you can so we can get all our family home with Amelia safely. ‘
The body of Amelia Bambridge (pictured) was found floating in the sea near the Thai border, more than 30 miles from the island of Koh Rong where she was last seen alive eight days ago
Amelia’s father Phil Bambridge (left) was among the relatives who scrambled to the island to help with the investigation and have been shuttling between Sihanoukville and Koh Rong
Recovery : A search and rescue team retrieves the British backpacker’s body, which will be taken back to the Cambodian mainland yesterday for an autopsy
A vigil for Amelia Bambridge is held at St Michael’s Catholic Church in Worthing, West Sussex last night, a week after the 21 – year -old went missing
A woman speaks at the vigil where members of the local community were invited to light a candle for the British backpacker
More than 100 army, navy and police personnel as well as volunteers and relatives had been combing the waters and dense jungle territory nearby
The UK Foreign Office said yesterday that its staff were on the island of Koh Rong to assist Miss Bambridge’s family.
British officials were also in contact with the Cambodian authorities responsible for carrying out the identification.
Miss Bambridge had not been seen since attending a beach party on the island of Koh Rong last Wednesday.
Staff at the private beach venue found her purple rucksack, containing her purse, phone and bank cards, the morning after the beach party.
Her family were alerted to her disappearance when she did not check out of the Nest Beach Club hostel that day.
More than 100 army, navy and police personnel as well as volunteers and relatives had been combing the waters and dense jungle territory nearby.
Divers searched the waters and others combed the jungle, but for days nothing substantive was found.
Amelia’s family members scrambled to the island to help with the investigation and have been shuttling between Sihanoukville and Koh Rong.
Last night some of her relatives who are still in the UK held a vigil for her near her home in Worthing, West Sussex.
Local MP Tim Loughton said yesterday: ‘Devastated to hear the terribly sad news about Amelia Bambridge this morning.
‘The thoughts and prayers of everyone in Worthing are with her family and friends.’
Members of the Cambodian rescue team are seen on Koh Rong island during the search for Amelia Bambridge which ended with the discovery of her body on Thursday
Rescue operation: Emergency workers sit around a table and look at a map yesterday during the search for Amelia Bambridge whose body has been found at sea
Patrol: A Cambodian police officer searches dense vegetation for Amelia Bambridge
The crew of a Cambodian navy patrol boat search for missing British national Amelia Bambridge on the shore of Koh Rong island last night
Amelia (pictured left alongside sister Georgie, right) had been dreaming of the trip for years and had sent messages home gushing about her experiences so far
After cracking the password to her Instagram account the family had been posted regular updates and urging other travelers on the island to provide information.
The mystery deepened after police held six men for questioning but they were found not to be involved and released.
Police had received a note from some Western visitors saying the men had acted badly toward foreign tourists in the past, especially women.
Authorities had admitted earlier this week that they were ‘looking for a body’ after no trace of Amelia was found.
The police chief said on Tuesday that the search had been expanded to nearby islands and further offshore in the Gulf of Thailand.
‘We have decided the search mission will not be ended until we find her alive, or her body if she has died, ‘he said.
Amelia, who saved for the trip for two years by working at Lloyds bank, set off on September 27 and flew first to Vietnam.
During a phone call with her younger sister Georgie on the day she vanished, Miss Bambridge said her first solo trip was ‘doing so much for her confidence’ and she was having ‘the best time ever’ .
Koh Rong, a small island some 130 miles from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, is popular with backpackers for its crystal waters and sandy coves.
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