Police on the island of Madagascar searching for a British teenager who fell out of a plane have found a body believed to be that of the Cambridge University student.
Alana Cutland, a 19-year-old natural sciences student, was on a research trip in the remote area of Anjajavy when she fell from the light aircraft on 25 July.
Madagascan police are investigating whether Cutland, from Milton Keynes, deliberately threw herself out of the plane to her death as the two-door aircraft flew over the savannah.
The local police chief, Spinola Nomenjanahary, told the Sun: “They have found a human body north of the site where she fell.” He said the body would be flown back to the Madagascan capital Antananarivo. The British embassy had been informed.
Toxicology tests will also be conducted on the body when it arrives, the paper reported.
Cutland’s uncle has previously said she became sick during her time in Madagascar, possibly due to prescription medication, with police investigating whether a possible reaction to an anti-malaria drug led her to open the plane door on purpose.
The plane’s pilot said Cutland had a headache when she boarded and stayed silent during the flight. Mahefa Tahina Rantoanina told the Sun he had “no idea” why Cutland had opened a door of the tiny plane mid-flight and “jumped” out.
It was previously reported that Cutland had suffered “paranoia attacks” while on the trip. Police said she was in regular contact with her parents and was making her way home via the island’s main airport.
In an earlier statement, her family paid tribute to “a bright, independent young woman, who was loved and admired by all those that knew her”.
They said: “Alana grasped every opportunity that was offered to her with enthusiasm and a sense of adventure, always seeking to extend her knowledge and experience in the best ways possible.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office declined to comment on the latest reports, referring instead to its previous statement. “We are in contact with the Madagascan government, Police and aviation authorities following reports of the death of a British woman. Our staff are offering support to her family,” a spokesman said.
