A Canadian woman who died in Cambodia Tuesday has been identified as a 27-year-old high school teacher from Winnipeg who worked three jobs to pay for her backpacking trip through Asia.
Abbey Amisola and her friend, a 22-year-old British backpacker, were found dead in a hostel in the city of Kampot.
Cambodian immigration officials posted pictures online with what appeared to be white pills the women may have taken before they died. According to local media, police said the pills were from a local pharmacy and taken for headaches and dizziness.
A family member told CTV Winnipeg that the tragic news is difficult to comprehend.
“It’s shocking. It’s unreal,” a relative told CTV Winnipeg on Wednesday. “It’s hard to believe.”
Dustin Brooks, a friend of Amisola, said her one goal in life was “to see the world.”
“And she loved it so much and all the wanderlust in her was just amazing. To see her pass now it’s just … I just really miss her,” Brooks said.
Lee Verlander, from the Monkey Republic hostel in Kampot, said in an emailed statement that the two women felt “unwell” and visited a pharmacy to get medication.
“The staff at Monkey Republic are devastated by the tragic deaths of the two young women,” he wrote.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed Wednesday that a Canadian woman died in Cambodia. However, officials have not confirmed the victim’s identity.
“Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who has passed away,” a Global Affairs spokesperson told CTV News in an email.
Consular officials in Cambodia are providing consular assistance to the family and are in touch with local authorities, though Global Affairs wouldn’t provide any further information, citing the Privacy Act.
Amisola was a member of the Manitoba Teachers Society, according to the organization’s president, Norm Gould.
“We are touched and saddened to hear about the sudden passing of our MTS member Abbey Gail Amisola. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Abbey’s family and those who knew her,” Gould said.
With files from CTV Winnipeg
