Fears are growing for the well-being of a British backpacker who vanished last week while “living out her dream” in Cambodia.
Amelia Bambridge, 21, from Worthing, West Sussex, was last seen on the island of Koh Rong late on Wednesday night.
Staff at Police Beach, a private venue that stages regular events, found Bambridge’s purple rucksack, containing her purse, phone and bank cards, the following morning.
During a phone call with her younger sister, Georgie, on Wednesday, Amelia said her first solo trip was “doing so much for her confidence” and she was having “the best time ever”.
Georgie Bambridge told Sky News: “She said ‘everyone is so cool here’ and couldn’t be happier.
“She’s literally wanted to go travelling her whole life
“She has spent the past two years saving for it and spent the last year reading blogs of travellers, researching what she was going to do.
“She knew everything and was living out her dream – she was happy.”
Bambridge said her “role model” sister “would never drink to excess” and was “always in control”, adding: “She would always be looking out for me, it’s not like her to not look after herself.
“I just don’t know what’s happened.”
Amelia set off on her trip on September 27, when she flew to Vietnam, her family said.
They were alerted to her disappearance after she failed to check out of the Nest Beach Club hostel.
Her passport remained at the hostel.
Fellow traveller Ryan Harris told how he initially raised the alarm.
He said: “We met in Phnom Penh, travelled down to Koh Rong together and then I visited a neighbouring island with plans to see Amelia again in a few days in Siem Reap.
“I saw her on Wednesday in the day and then left for the island that day.”
Harris said he last saw Bambridge when they said goodbye on Wednesday.
When he returned the following day at around 11.30am, Harris was told that Bambridge had not returned from her night out, adding: “Someone mentioned it when I got off the boat at the pier and then again when I got to the hostel.
“My friend messaged me to let me know she still hadn’t shown up and we just kind of went from there.
“No-one had made contact at that point as [her] parents hadn’t even been informed yet.”
He earlier told BBC South East Today: “It is definitely out of character for her to not show up because she always sticks with the group.”
Local volunteers and Cambodian police have scoured the shoreline and jungle for the missing backpacker, and Bambridge’s family are also heading to Koh Rong to assist.
Her father and brother have already arrived on the island, and her brother Harry wrote on Facebook on Sunday: “So I’ve landed in Cambodia, in a taxi to attempt to make the last ferry to the island, which is a five hour taxi.
“I’m totally overwhelmed with everyone’s support and I can’t thank you all enough.”
In a different post, he added: “I seriously believe there is still hope for her to be found alive.”
An employee at the Koh Rong Dive Centre, which is a seven-minute walk up the coast from Police Beach, said: “We are all so sad and worried and doing everything in our power to find her.
“We have provided a boat, diving gear and tanks. Military divers are involved.”
Cambodian police posted a photo of officers searching parts of the island’s jungle on Facebook while images of investigators setting up a drone also appeared online.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “We are assisting the family of a British woman who has been reported missing in Cambodia and are in close contact with the Cambodian police.”