British girl found dead in Spain

Spanish murder squad detectives were today probing the mystery death of an attractive British girl whose body was found hours after her 19th birthday party in the seaside resort.

The girl, who is not being named until her parents in Britain have been informed, was found at the apartment where she had been living at Alfaz del Pi, just outside the bustling resort on Spain's south east coast, yesterday afternoon.

She was lying on the floor of her apartment partly clothed and had bruising on her legs. Her friends called the police. An autopsy was being carried out.

The night before the body was found the girl, who had been working for several weeks at a bar in Benidorm, celebrated her birthday with friends around the swimming pool at the apartment block where she lived.

A woman neighbour said the girl had been staying at the block, where many foreigners live, for several weeks and had made several friends.