A rising rugby league star has been found dead in a Barcelona club after going missing while on the trip of a lifetime with pals.
Liam Hampson, 24, who represented the Redcliffe Dolphins club in Australia's Queensland Cup, was missing for over 30 hours and friends and family had issued desperate pleas.
Hampson was travelling across Europe with NRL stars AJ Brimson, Jordan Riki and Jesse Arthars.
Barcelona Police told 7News that a body believed to be that of Hampson had been found on the floor of a nightclub in the city.
“This morning, nightclub staff where Liam was seen for the last time, found a body on the floor in an area of the nightclub, Sala Apolo," they said.
Hampson's death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Among the travelling group was Brimson, a star for the Gold Coast Titans, and Brisbane Broncos duo Riki and Arthars.
Brimson raised the alarm that Hampson was missing in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
He wrote: "Hasn’t been able to be contacted and no one has seen him for 24 hours.
“Was travelling with a group and very out of character, any info would be greatly appreciated.”
The group of friends had visited Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and France during their trip.
Hampson's sister Tiarna posted a tribute to her brother on Instagram following the tragic news.
She wrote: "Waking up to the saddest news possible about Liam. We are devastated to find out Liam had an accident and did not survive.
"We are so heartbroken. Liam was the best brother I ever could have asked for and made me a better person. We cannot express our grief.
"Any media outlets, if you could please respect our privacy during the time.
"We cannot thank the boys he was travelling with enough for assisting with his search and made sure his last days were the best of his life.
"Going to miss you so much, Liam."
