A post-mortem is due to take place on Wednesday to determine how teenager Nora Quoirin died after her body was found in Malaysia.
The 15-year-old’s body was discovered beside a small stream, about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) from the jungle resort of Dusun, on Tuesday.
It followed a large-scale operation to find the London teenager, who disappeared from the resort on Sunday August 4 while on holiday with her family.
Police in Malaysia said the body – later confirmed to be Nora’s by her family – was found by volunteers who were helping the search team.
Deputy police chief Mazlan Mansor told reporters at a press conference that the remains were winched by helicopter to a hospital mortuary.
He added that the body “was not in any clothings” and that while it remained a missing persons case police were looking into all possibilities including the “angle of criminal investigation”.
Nora’s mother made a heartfelt appeal on Monday to find her as a £10,000 reward – donated by an anonymous Belfast business – was offered for information leading to her safe return.
The teenager’s parents, Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin, a French-Irish couple who have lived in London for 20 years, had thanked those looking for her as fundraising pages set up by Nora’s aunt and uncle collected more than £100,000 from well-wishers.
Following the confirmation that Nora’s body had been found, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that the situation was “every family’s worst nightmare”.
He tweeted: “Our thoughts & sincere condolences are with Nora Quoirin’s parents, siblings & wider family at this unimaginably difficult time.
“They have experienced every family’s worst nightmare. I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who searched for Nora. May she rest in peace.”
President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, and his wife Sabina offered their “deepest condolences” to Nora’s parents, to her siblings and to her extended family.
He said: “On behalf of the people of Ireland, I would also like to express my gratitude for the assistance given by the Malaysian authorities in the search for Nora, for the volunteers who answered the call to join the search and for all those throughout Malaysia, Ireland, Britain and France who offered what support they could.
“Our thoughts and prayers are now with Nora’s family, at this most difficult time.”
The French Foreign Ministry also expressed its sincere condolences to Nora’s family.
In a statement on Twitter, written in French, Europe and foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and secretary of state for Europe Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said: “The French authorities are at the disposition of the Malaysian authorities so that light can be shed on the circumstances of her death.”
Volunteer hikers and even reportedly a shaman were among those taking part in the search for Nora, who was born with the brain defect holoprosencephaly.
The Quoirins had said Nora’s condition meant she was not independent and had difficulty walking.
Search crews looking for Nora had played her mother’s voice in the dense Malaysian forest near where she disappeared.
Mrs Quoirin could be heard saying “Nora, darling, Nora, I love you, Mum is here,” on the recording.
Police had said the teenager, who was travelling on an Irish passport, was believed to have climbed out of her resort room window.
After Nora went missing, her family described how she was particularly vulnerable.
Describing her as a “very special person” they said she would not have gone anywhere alone.
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