Body of 21-year-old British Backpacker Found Floating Off Coast of Cambodia

Cailey Rizzo

The body of the 21-year-old British backpacker who had gone missing last week was found floating off the coast of Cambodia on Thursday.

Police found Amelia Bambridge’s body about 30 miles away from tourist destination Koh Rong where she was last seen, The BBC reported. She went missing from a beach party on the island around 3 a.m. on October 24, and a few hours later, her backpack — which contained her purse, phone and bank cards — was found.

Search efforts quickly commenced when she failed to check out of her hostel the following day.

A police dog team leaves to continue the search for missing British tourist Amelia Bambridge on Koh Rong island in Sihanoukville province on October 31, 2019. | TANG CHHIN SOTHY/Getty Images
A police dog team leaves to continue the search for missing British tourist Amelia Bambridge on Koh Rong island in Sihanoukville province on October 31, 2019. | TANG CHHIN SOTHY/Getty Images

Her family flew from West Sussex, England to Cambodia to assist in search efforts that consisted more than 150 people around the island including divers, navy personnel, local people and tourists who joined Cambodian police officers looking for Bambridge on land and sea.

Relatives of missing British woman Amelia Bambridge walk along a beach on Koh Rong island in Sihanoukville province on October 29, 2019. | TANG CHHIN SOTHY/Getty Images
Relatives of missing British woman Amelia Bambridge walk along a beach on Koh Rong island in Sihanoukville province on October 29, 2019. | TANG CHHIN SOTHY/Getty Images

Although her cause of death and events leading up to it are unclear, Cambodian police speculated that Bambridge had drowned in an earlier report by The Guardian,

Bambridge was traveling through Southeast Asia on a gap year. Her sister, Georgie, told CNN on Wednesday that Amelia had last contacted the family on October 23 when she messaged to say how amazing her trip had been.

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“She wanted to explore the world, to live a full life with no regrets," Georgie said of the first-time traveler.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, an organization dedicated to helping families whose loved ones have disappeared abroad, has been helping the Bambridge family and also confirmed the tragic news.

“Amelia Bambridge’s body has been found at sea," the organization tweeted. "We are assisting her family. Please respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”

Another sister of Amelia, and her brother both wrote emotional Facebook posts confirming the tragic news.

"I have had the most horrific confirmation that my sister Amelia Bambridge was found and she is no longer with us," her sister, Sharon Schultz shared. "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."