Madagascar plane fall: Cambridge student Alana Cutland's body found
Cambridge student Alana Cutland threw herself from the light aircraft over the jungle on the Indian Ocean island (Image: Linkedin)
A student's body has reportedly been found in the Madagascar jungle after she jumped from a plane, police say.
Alana Cutland, 19, threw herself out of a light aircraft over a jungle on the Indian Ocean island last month.
She is said to have fallen into a remote savannah filled with swamps before her body was reportedly found by a local tribe.
The Cambridge University student opened the plane's door and jumped out around 15 minutes after take-off.
The pilot and British tourist Ruth Johnson both became "exhausted" and lost their grip in their bid to stop her, according to police.
Mystery surrounds the exact cause of the teenager's death amid speculation that she was suffering from stress and "paranoia" related to her studies.)
Police are also probing whether she had a sever reaction to anti-malarial drugs which sometimes cause anxiety, panic attacks and hallucinations in some people.
Her uncle, Lester Riley, 68, from Nottingham, told the Sun: “There was nothing wrong with her before she went out [to Madagscar]. She was not that kind of person [to suffer from mental health].
"She was very stable. It was totally out of character. She was a really lovely girl with her whole life ahead of her. She must have fallen ill out there."
He also told the MailOnline that she had been mumbling during a phone call with her mum just six days into her trip.
Her parents Alison and Neil had agreed with Alana that she should come home and told her to seek medial attention while in Madagascar.
Alana pictured with her parents Alison Cutland and Neil Cutland (Image: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED)
"She had taken ill after being there for a few days and when she spoke to her mother on the phone two days before the accident she was mumbling and sounded pretty incoherent.
"My sister was frantic and called the Embassy for help. They advised she should see a doctor in the country and then come back to England. And Alana agreed to that.
"She was in total agreement. There was no friction or tense conversation."
The tragic incident happened 15 minutes after the plane took off from the remote Analalava region in northern Madagascar on July 25.
The pilot grabbed onto Alana's leg and manoeuvred the plane from side to side in a desperate bid to prevent her from flinging herself from the tiny propeller aircraft.
Others on board desperately tried to stop her from falling (Image: The Cutland family)
Alana Cutland, 20, fell from the Cessna-style light aircraft high above the paradise Indian Ocean Island about 15 minutes after take-off (Image: Facebook
Mahefa Tahina Rantoanina - pilot of the plane Alana jumped from (Image: mta)
Via Mirror