A British student froze to death while on a skiing holiday after she got lost, slipped on ice and plunged into a river after a night out.

The body of Rachel Ward, 20, who was reading natural sciences at Durham University, was found floating in the Isere River in the resort of Val d’Isere.

The “gifted and popular” undergraduate had been out drinking but when she left the bar alone she got lost. She telephoned her friend to say she could not find her apartment but was not heard from again.

It is believed she fell and slipped down a steep bank into the icy waters. Hand marks in the snow on the river bank suggest she had repeatedly tried to drag herself out.

Miss Ward died from hypothermia in temperatures of around -15C. There was no evidence of bruising on her body and police are not treating her death as suspicious. Her parents, from Halifax, have been informed and flew to the resort yesterday.

Miss Ward, a talented hockey player, had been taking part in a week-long ski and snowboarding holiday in the French Alps. The trip, organised by ‘On the Piste’, involves drinks parties and skiing which attracts hundreds of university students every year.

On Monday, Miss Ward went to Pub Morris, a popular bar for British tourists. She was last seen at around 1.10am when she left friends to make her way to her apartment.

At 1.42am she called a friend to explain that she was lost. The friend gave her directions but Miss Ward said she could not identify any landmarks and said she would call back in a few minutes after she worked out where she was.

After waiting 10 minutes, the friend called her mobile but there was no answer. She had slipped down a steep bank leading to the river.

A spokesman for the Val D’Isere gendarmerie said: “We believe she fell into the river and was unable to get out. There are marks on the river bank where she slipped. They are about 10 metres from where we found her body.

“She was dressed in warm clothing but the outside temperature was -10 to -15 degrees.

“We did not find a wallet on her, just a camera. And also she was wearing a bracelet with the name of the tour company, On The Piste, on it. So we were able to contact them and then identify her.”

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