- EXCLUSIVE
- Lifeguard boyfriend, 28, made frantic efforts to save girlfriend
- 'I love life' wrote bright business studies graduate on Couchsurfing social networking site
- Father of boyfriend: 'It's like the stuff you see on films'
By Oliver Pickup
Last updated at 10:05 PM on 28th June 2011
This is the first picture of British tourist Christina Louise Reed, who drowned in a river while travelling with her boyfriend in a remote part of India.
The 25-year-old's body was recovered by police divers this afternoon.
Miss Reed, from Torquay in Devon, had not been seen since getting caught in a strong current as she slipped and fell into the swollen Umkynsan River on Saturday.
Boyfriend Anthony Biddlecombe, a qualified swimming instructor, dived into the surging waters to save her, but she was trapped on a boulder beneath the water.
Tragic: Chrissie Reed, 25, pictured here with long-time boyfriend Anthony Biddlecombe, has drowned in India
The 28-year-old tried his best to resuscitate his girlfriend, whom he had met and lived with when they were both studying at the University of Sussex.
But after going under the waves with mouthfuls of air for Miss Reed, a business studies graduate, for the fifth time he noticed that she had become limp, and swam to the surface to look for help.
But being a long way from the nearest town, Mr Biddlecombe, who was with an American couple when his girlfriend slipped into the river, could not find any immediate assistance.
Travelling companions: Chrissie and Anthony pictured on a diving expedition during their holiday
Diving under the water once more, to where Miss Reed had been moments earlier, the trained lifeguard was distraught to find that she was no longer there and had been swept away by the strong monsoonal currents.
A frantic search began, and Mr Biddlecombe, from Sandown on the Isle of Wight, was hopeful that 'by some miracle, she would be alive', his father, Graham, told MailOnline exclusively.
The 56-year-old continued: 'But a miracle did not happen and now it's just awful, a complete mess, like the stuff you see on films.
Holiday of a lifetime: Chrissie pictured with a pet monkey during her Asian tour (left) and in another holiday pose
'Anthony wondered whether they would find Chrissie wandering around in a daze, having forgotten where she was.
'But it wasn't to be.'
This afternoon his son, a psychology graduate, had to identify Miss Reed's drowned body after a team of 20 police divers recovered it following the four-day search.
The couple had been travelling in Asia for 20 months and planned to fly to South America for the next leg of their trip
Christina Louise Reed, 25, from Torquay went missing on Saturday in the state of Meghalaya, while swimming in the swollen Umkynsan River
'I LOVE LIFE. I LOVE DANCING, CHATTING AND CHEEKY BANTER'
The couple had registered on travelling social networking website Couchsurfing.org, and friends they had made on their were horrified to learn the news about Miss Reed.
One said: 'Oh my god!! I was supposed to host Christina and Anthony next week in my place. I didn't get any reply back, now I know why.'
The couple's profiles on the website showed a long list of places they had visited, mainly favourite backpacking spots in South East Asia and Australia.
On her social networking profile, Miss Reed wrote: 'I love life. I love dancing, chatting, laughing and cheeky banter.'
About her boyfriend, she wrote: 'Anthony's personality is as curly wurly as his hair. He's genuine, fun-loving, open-minded, and unbelievably generous with his time.
'He's passionate about travel and with his giant spoon and monkey in tow, I've no doubt that he will conquer the world... eventually!'
Mr Biddlecombe, who described Miss Reed as his 'best friend', wrote: 'She loves to cook so be prepared if you have a kitchen where she can cook (and make a little mess). She loves to travel. She loves to drink and dance. She loves wine and cheese but most importantly she loves life.'
He added: 'Being passionate about water safety, along with swimming skills, I will incorporate both water safety theory and safety skills. If you would like more emphasis on water safety, I can teach self survival and basic rescue skills also.'
The couple who had a desire to travel the world, had flown to Asia 20 months ago together as friends, and their relationship 'blossomed' while they were travelling, according to Mr Biddlecombe's father.
'They had decided they wanted to see the world starting in Thailand, where they both got jobs as English teachers,' he told MailOnline.
'And before going to India they travelled extensively to the surrounding countries Cambodia, Vietnam and so on.
'They had both made a decision they would like to do the north of India they had been in India for a few weeks and covered quite a few places en route to the Cheerapujee region.'
The couple had flown to India from Thailand earlier this month and had been trekking in the village of Sohra, formerly known as Cherrapunjee, and officially the wettest place in the world, in the middle of the Indian monsoon.
They had been staying in the Sohra resort for three days before the tragic accident happened in the Umkynsan River, which flows below the village of Laitkynsew and is about 40 miles from state capital Shillong.
According to Mr Biddlecombe, the couple had planned to continue travelling in India before flying to South American and continuing their adventures.
Local reports suggested that he told rescuers, trying to find his girlfriend, that he desperately tried to swim to her as she was swept away by a strong current.
'We tried our best to rescue her, but we failed as she was swept away by the high current downstream,' he said.
Sunil Kumar Kataria, the policeman in charge of the operation, said: 'We have also matched the remains with her photo on the passport.
'We were hoping there had been a miracle and she had somehow survived, but we had to work on the assumption she had probably drowned.
'She was not an expert swimmer.'
Miss Reed's father flew out last night and arrived about an hour after the body had been pulled out of the water.
'Chrissie mother and father have sadly not seen her for some time, so it makes it much worse,' added Mr Biddlecombe.
'In a way, the fact that she has been found gives the parents and family some closure.
'She was a wonderful girl - incredibly bright - and this is truly very, very tragic.'
The body will be sent for post-mortem and her final rites will be read according to the wishes of her father.
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My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Lost someone VERY close to me in similar circumstances and feel their pain.
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How very very sad. My sincere condolences to her family, boyfriend and friends.
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