Rescuers seeking missing tourist in Laos find a body

Rescuers searching for a missing British tourist who disappeared after a boat capsized in south east Asia have found a body.

The Mekong River, Laos Image by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / CC BY 2.0

Johanna Powell, from Cardiff, had not been seen since Saturday after a wooden cruise boat she was aboard suddenly sank on the Mekong River in Laos.

It has been reported the 37-year-old BBC Wales picture editor was asleep on the vessel when it hit a rock while going through rapids.

Eyewitnesses described the boat sinking in “less than a minute”.

Rescuers began searching a specific 20km stretch of the world’s 12th biggest river.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed a body has now been found, but not yet identified.

A spokeswoman said the FCO was continuing to provide “consular assistance” to Ms Powell’s family.

(Press Association)