Gap-year girl missing after beach party in Cambodia

FEARS were growing last night for the safety of a British gap-year student who has been missing in Cambodia since Wednesday.

Amelia Bambridge, 21, was last seen in the early hours at a beach party on the island of Koh Rong.

Her bag containing a purse, mobile phone and bank cards were found in a bar about 40 minutes’ walk through dense forest from the hostel where she was staying.

The backpacker’s mother Linda Bambridge, from Worthing, West Sussex, yesterday flew to SouthEast Asia to join a search party involving police and locals.

‘This is very out of character, she is normally so organised,’ the 52year-old told the Argus newspaper before taking a flight to Bangkok on the first leg of the journey.

‘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. Her friend is still there as they were due to leave the island today, but she hasn’t left because Amelia is missing.’

Koh Rong, in the Gulf of Thailand, is popular with backpackers.

Amelia had been staying at the Nest Beach Club in the south of the island, and had left her passport there while she was at the party in nearby Police Beach.

When she failed to return to her accommodation, the manager of t he hostel contacted Amelia’s mother. Mrs Bambridge said she still hopes her daughter simply ‘got lost’ on her way back from the beach and will be found safe and well. Amelia’s older brother Harry, who is also on his way to Cambodia to help in the search, posted on Facebook: ‘ Please do me a big favour and pray for my sister Amelia Bambridge.

‘I’m about to board a plane from LA as she’s been missing on her travels in Cambodia for over 48 hours now. I’ve asked whoever might be up there, to look after her for just another 20 hours and her big brother will be there as soon as I can be. Thanks for everyone who’s showed their support, especially to my family back home.’

Amelia, a former student at Brighton, Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College, had been due to check out of her hostel at noon on Friday and was planning to leave the island with a friend yesterday.

She left the UK last month after completing an apprenticeship. It is her first time travelling.

Her sister Georgie, 19, described Amelia as ‘strong-minded, sensible and very organised’, adding: ‘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...’

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are assisting the family... and are in close contact with the Cambodian police.’