Tributes have been paid to a 19 year old student from Exeter University's Penryn Campus who drowned in the seas off Thailand on Sunday.

Bryony Freestone is believed to have died after getting into trouble while swimming near the White Sand beach resort in Koh Chang.

A spokesman for the University of Exeter said: “We are deeply saddened by this awful news. Bryony is remembered as a talented, dedicated and hugely popular student and our heartfelt condolences and thoughts are with her family and friends.”

There has also been a suggestion that a tree in her memory be planted at the campus.

Bryony's twin sister Sophie wrote on a university Facebook page: "I can't put into words how hard she worked to be accepted by Exeter, and to live in Cornwall. She couldn't have adored this place and its people more. Our family is truly grateful to Penryn for all the happiness it brought to Bry."

The adventure loving geography student, who was also a keen surfer, had been in south east Asia as part of a conservation expedition to Cambodia, where she was studying the ecological effects of illegal trawling.

On the FXCambodia project website, she wrote: "I've been lucky enough to go to Kenya and gain an insight into the world of elephant and rhino conservation, and climbed Mount Kenya to raise money and awareness for their conservation.

"My love of surfing has inspired my interest in the importance of protecting the oceans, and I can't wait to discover more about this and understand its wider implications for people, in Cambodia this summer."