Alwaght- A female British embassy worker has reportedly been strangled near a highway outside Lebanese capital Beirut.
Rebecca Dykes was found dead on the side of a motorway outside Beirut in the early hours of Saturday morning, British outlets reported on Sunday. A forensic examination suggested she had died at around 4am on Saturday.
Her body was found without any identity papers on the Metn highway. She reportedly spent her last day with friends at a cafe and left on her own at midnight.
The British foreign ministry released a statement by the family of the deceased.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened,” they said. “We request that the media respect our privacy as we come together as a family at this very difficult time.”
Police reportedly suggested that she had been murdered and died at around 4 am on Saturday.
“The whole embassy is deeply shocked, saddened by this news. My thoughts are with Becky’s family, friends and colleagues for their tragic loss,” Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, said on Twitter. “We’re providing consular support to her family and working very closely with Lebanese authorities who are conducting police investigation.”
Dykes describes herself on social media as a program and policy manager with the Department for International Development.
“Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family. We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time,” said a British Foreign Office spokesman.
