Mother flies to Cambodia to find daughter Amelia Bambridge

Amelia Bambridge, from Worthing, was last seen by travelling companions at a beach party in Koh Rong at 3am on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Worthing backpacker remains missing after first day of searching 

The 21-year-old, who is on a gap year, was due to check out of her youth hostel at noon yesterday to leave the island later in the afternoon with a friend.

But ten hours later, at 10pm local time, her mother was told by the hostel’s manager that her daughter had “been declared officially missing”.

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”

Today, worried mother Linda Bambridge, 52, is taking an emergency flight to the island to join a search party of concerned locals and police. 

As she prepared to leave the family home in Worthing, Ms Bambridge said: "I have got numbers of people to contact in Cambodia. 

READ MORE: Worthing backpacker remains missing after first day of searching 

"I'm going to Bangkok, getting another flight to the country, then transport from the capital to the coastline.

"From there I will get a ferry, hopefully arriving at 2pm tomorrow afternoon local time."

Amelia's handbag, which had her purse, phone and bank cards in it, was found on the beach after a party held on Wednesday night. Her passport is still at the hostel, the Nest Beach Club.

It is understood there are no lights from the beach to the Nest Beach Club, which is 40 minutes away. The area is also thickly forested. 

Her mother is hoping that Amelia, a former student at Bhasvic in Hove, got "lost on her way back" and the search party will be able to find her.

Amelia's sister Georgie, 19, is close to her and said Amelia would message the family whenever she had wifi. 

She said: "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.

"I spoke to her Wednesday and she normally messages us every now and then, every time she got wifi.

"I told her to put loads of pictures online to see what she was up to.

"It's horrendous but we need to be positive and she needs to be found."

Amelia left the UK last month after completing an apprenticeship.

It is her first time travelling on her own.

Ryan Harris, 18, who was part of the group travelling the Asian country with the 21-year-old, raised the alarm.

Ryan moved on to another island with plans to link back up with Miss Bambridge.

Cambodian police have been informed but Ryan said they had indicated nothing would be done until Miss Bambridge had been missing for 72 hours.

He said: “She was one of the first people I met over here about a week ago.

“I met her in Phnom Penh and we got the boat to Koh Rong, we all spent a few days together and met up with a few other people in a big group.

“We went on to a neighbouring island but she stayed there with another girl I know who had travelled with us on the boat over.

“I then had to travel back to Koh Rong after leaving my passport at the hostel and when I got there two people told me she had gone missing.

“I assumed she would turn up but I have since travelled another 12 hours on a bus to Siem Reap and she still has not been found. She is supposed to be in Siem Reap by now.

“From my experience I would say it is out of character for her not to come back after a few hours and it is a small island.

READ MORE: Worthing backpacker remains missing after first day of searching 

“Even if you go your separate ways after a few drinks you see people again ten or 20 minutes later. She should have come back by now.”

Ryan explained that the hostel held passports to ensure customers paid the bill but Amelia had not gone back for hers.

“She hasn’t gone back for that or checked out which raises a red flag,” he said.

Amelia was last seen wearing a tropical print shirt.

She has a cow tattoo on her forearm and two cat tattoos on her legs.