Call for answers after student dies at boat party
Portuguese maritime police find Julian Amaral's body in the water after a five-day search in Lisbon.
**Call for answers after student dies at boat party**
Julian Amaral died after falling overboard at a boat party in Portugal
The family of a student who died after falling from a boat party in Portugal has said they want answers about his death.
Maritime police discovered the body of Julian Amaral, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in the water five days after he fell overboard on 1 September.
The 23-year-old, who had travelled to Lisbon for two family weddings, was among 200 people at a white-themed party on the boat.
"We want to get to the bottom of what happened to him and how it happened," his sister, Cassie Amaral, 29, told the BBC.
"No-one should go on a boat ride and show up dead six days later," she said.
The family spent five days desperately searching for Amaral before his body was found at the Port of Lisbon at 19:20 local time (18:20 BST) on Monday.
Amaral's relatives have been battling to bring his body back to the UK
"From the get-go, the people on the boat said it was impossible – he would not fall," his sister said.
She said conflicting accounts given to police delayed the beginning of their investigation.
"It was very, very surreal because I felt like I was in a movie," Amaral added.
"You hear stories like this and you don't think it's going to happen to you, ever. It's heart-wrenching."
Amaral had family in Portugal but was born and raised in High Wycombe, and was also studying at London Metropolitan University.
He was only days away from starting a new job at Lloyd's Bank, and his relatives are now fighting to repatriate his body to the UK.
They have been supported by an online fundraiser that has raised more than £20,000.
Cassie Amaral said: "The amount of messages we have received from complete strangers saying the story really touched them is amazing.
"It just makes us feel so warm inside, because we know how much of a good boy he was and we're happy other people can see that too."
Paying tribute to her "gym freak" brother, Amaral added: "He was an amazing guy.
"If you needed him for anything, he would help you as best as he can. He really will be missed by so many people."