British stewardess Rebecca Boyle found dead: what we know so far

A British woman was found dead on a superyacht in Italy just hours after celebrating England’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia with friends, police have confirmed.

Rebecca Boyle had only started work as chief stewardess on board the £6m La Polonia last week and had been out with crew members after the match on Tuesday, says The Sun.

She was discovered dead in her cabin on the ship, which was moored in the Riviera port of Imperia, by her colleagues after failing to turn up for breakfast on Wednesday morning.

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How did she die?

Boyle, from Notting Hill, London, is thought to have “suffered a fatal head injury after falling down the stairs after a night of drinking”, says the Daily Mail.

She reportedly celebrated England’s victory in a bar with her colleagues, along with crew members working on another yacht, the Dynamic.

They then returned to the Imperia and continued to drink in a hot tub on the vessel, according to local media.

Boyle was said to have been “the worse for wear” when she left to return to her cabin, but police said they are treating her death as unexplained and have yet to rule out that another party may have been involved.

A police spokesperson told The Sun: “We have seen the reports that she was out celebrating England’s win in town but at this stage we cannot say if drink played a part, because no autopsy has been carried out.

“At this stage it is to early to say and her death is being treated as unexplained. We cannot yet rule out third party involvement."

What is La Polonia?

The 150ft yacht costs £150,000 a week to charter and can accommodate up to ten passengers and seven crew members.

Maritime records show that the ship had been sailing between the French and Italian Rivieras last week.

According to The Sun, Boyle posted on Facebook last week asking for a second stewardess who had yacht and hospitality experience to work on the vessel.