British backpacker Amelia Bambridge's body has been cremated after she was found drowned off the coast of Cambodia, according to authorities.
Police in Cambodia say Amelia's grieving family had made the decision to have her body cremated before taking her back home to the UK.
Deputy National Police chief In Bora said the Bambridge family had made the decision because they accepted Amelia had died from drowning, rather than under suspicious circumstances.
He told the Phnom Penh Post : “Initially, the family wanted to send the body to Britain with the approval of the British Embassy.
“But following the autopsy, where it was established that there was no criminal aspect to her death, they decided to have the cremation in Phnom Penh and take the ashes back home,” he said.
Gap-year traveller Amelia, 21, went missing after a beach party in the Cambodian island of Koh Rong last month.
Her desperate family travelled to the island to join the massive search operation.
But tragically Amelia's body was found a week ago floating 30 miles out at sea of the south-east Asian country, near the Thai maritime border.
A post-mortem exam carried out in the city of Sihanoukville found Amelia, from Worthing, Surrey, died by drowning.
National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun told The Post on Sunday authorities believe Amelia likely went for a swim after drinking at the party, leaving her bag on the beach, where it was found on a rock with her mobile phone, cards and money inside.
Mr Khoueun said: “She was probably drunk and unaware that the spot she was swimming in was deep."
The investigation had revealed no evidence of foul play, he added.
Amelia’s mother and aunt flew over from the UK, to join the local search party of hundreds of police officers and volunteers.
Her brother and father came from their homes in America and Vietnam to join the desperate search.
After Amelia was found, her brother Harry Bambridge described his sorrow after he was forced to identify his beloved sister's body.
Her family today described Amelia as an "outstandingly kind" young woman with a "zest for life."
Her sister Georgie told the Worthing Herald she had last spoken to Amelia on the day of the party.
Amelia told her she was having the "time of her life" travelling in Cambodia.
Her family told the newspaper Amelia's selflessness was highlighted by the volunteer work she did teaching English at her father's school in Vietnam just a few weeks before her death.
The family said Amelia was passionate about fighting animal cruelty, and was a vegan.
They described her as a "real party girl" who loved music, but one who knew her limits and would always make it home without incident - and was more usually found looking after other party-goers who had over-indulged.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Amelia’s family at this extremely sad time, and we continue to do all we can to support them.
“Our staff in Cambodia and in the UK are providing bereavement advice and emotional support, and remain in close contact with the Cambodian authorities.”
The family have been fundraising to bring Amelia's body home. You can donate here .
