A British student has been found dead after mysteriously disappearing following a party on a packed boat.
Julian Amaral, 23, vanished after enjoying a night out with his cousin while on holiday in Portugal.
His body has now been recovered from the Tagus River following a major search involving divers, maritime police and an Air Force helicopter, as reported by Need To Know.
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His devastated sister confirmed the tragic news on social media, describing his death as a “huge loss” for their family.
She said: “It is with a very heavy and broken heart that I let everyone know that my brother Julian has passed.
“I want to thank every single one of you for all of your love, support and kindness.
“Without it, I don’t think we would have gotten this far.”
Asking for privacy, she added: “For now, I ask that you respect our need to grieve as a family and try to navigate this news.
“This is a huge loss to our family, and we need a moment to process it all.”
The London Metropolitan University student had been partying aboard a boat before it returned to shore in Lisbon.
Shortly before the end of the night, Julian reportedly told his cousin that he was going to the toilet.
His cousin never saw him again.
Believing Julian may have already left the vessel, he desperately tried to contact him, but his phone was no longer reachable.
Two security guards were later reported to have seen Julian leaving the boat.
CCTV subsequently examined by investigators reportedly showed the young Brit falling into the river shortly after disembarking.
The discovery prompted specialist divers to search the water as his family desperately appealed for information.
Julian’s older sister had previously described him as an “incredible swimmer” and said his disappearance was completely out of character.
She said during the search: “I know that if he dropped in there, he would have swam… and honestly, I don’t think that’s the case.”
But Julian’s body was eventually spotted in the water near a container terminal in Alcântara, a little over 400 metres away.
Firefighters recovered him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His body was taken to Lisbon’s National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences for a post-mortem examination.
Julian, from High Wycombe, had been staying with his cousin in Portugal when he attended the party.
He disappeared in the early hours of September 1, with an extensive search launched in the days that followed.
His body was discovered on Sunday (6 Sep).
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