A 21-year-old British backpacker who disappeared after a beach party on a Cambodian island has been declared missing.
Police and volunteers on the island of Koh Rong are searching for Amelia Bambridge, a former student from West Sussex who was last seen by friends on Wednesday.
Her mother, Linda Bambridge, was contacted by the manager of the Nest Beach Club hostel after Amelia failed to check out at noon on Friday and her handbag – containing her purse, phone and bank cards – was found on Police Beach where the party had been held.
She never returned to the hostel to collect her passport and failed to meet a friend to leave the island together on Friday.
Her family are flying out to assist in the search. Her mother told The Argus: “This is very out of character, she is normally so organised.
“I don’t know what to think. The police have confirmed she is missing – apparently the embassy is closed until Monday. There doesn’t seem to be any urgency.”
Ms Bambridge is hoping Amelia got lost on the way back from the beach, which is reportedly an unlit 40-minute journey through a densely forested area.
Ryan Harris, an 18-year-old from Worcester who had met Amelia a week ago and briefly travelled with her as part of a group of friends, said people across the island, which is roughly 15km long, were banding together to find her.
“People are diving. People are checking the jungles and the beaches,” he told the BBC. “Police sent three search teams out, so they’re helping as well. It’s a whole island thing now. Everyone’s looking.”
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said it is assisting Amelia’s family and is in close contact with the Cambodian police.
Amelia’s sister, Georgie, told The Argus: “She is strong-minded, really sensible and very organised. She spent the last year googling solo female travelling, looking at pages and blogs and sorting out everything.
“I’m just in shock, she has never done anything like this before.”
Additional reporting by PA
