British Influencer Died While In Sri Lanka As Part Of Dream Trip

(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) British influencer Ebony McIntosh, who died at age 24 on Saturday while vacationing in Sri Lanka, was in the country as part of her dream to travel all over South Asia, People magazine reported.

According to a GoFundMe opened by her sister India, the island visit was meant to be McIntosh's first stop in“[following] her dream” to travel“all over South Asia.”

“We are absolutely heartbroken to share that our beautiful baby girl and big sister Ebony has passed away unexpectedly,” India wrote on behalf of their family.“Words cannot begin to express how broken we are, it's been like a nightmare since we found out on Sunday morning, we have prayed and prayed that this can't be true.”

A note on the fundraiser site explained that McIntosh - who shared fashion, travel and lifestyle content to her audience of 10,000 followers - became“very ill” during her stay in a Sri Lankan hostel. She and several others were reportedly rushed to the hospital to be treated for vomiting and nausea. India noted that her sister was experiencing difficulty breathing as well, and she died within a few hours of arriving at the medical facility.

“We cannot even begin to imagine how scared she must have felt at the time and it hurts us so badly to think of the pain she was in,” India wrote.“We have set up a GoFundMe to raise money to get our family over to Sri Lanka to be with our beautiful Ebony and bring her home where she belongs.”

The page's description claimed that Sri Lankan authorities are not able to release McIntosh's body until“a full post-mortem has been completed.” India added that there is an“ongoing investigation” into the“tragic circumstances” linked to the creator's cause of death.

Her sister expressed that the family is“desperate” to see McIntosh and bring her home. They are seeking financial aid to help cover the costs of flights, hotel accommodation, emergency passports, travel visas, necessary vaccinations and funeral services.

“We need to be with our beautiful Ebony as soon as possible,” the note concluded.“We hate the thought of her being alone in a foreign country. We want to be able to bring her back home safely to rest. We just need to look after our angel.”

India shared the GoFundMe to her Instagram Stories and honored the late social media star with a post on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

“Thank you for being my older sister, one better than i could've ever asked for. thank you for guiding me through these 20 years of my life, i am so lucky to have had you. thank you for being my inspiration ... you were just 4 days into your months of travelling [sic] so excited and happy to see the world,” India wrote alongside a carousel of photos.

“I am truly heartbroken, i can't believe i am writing this, it feels like some nightmare i haven't woke up from yet,” the caption continued.“[I'm] so sad you won't be here to see us all through our life journeys and vice versa but we are endlessly proud of everything you accomplished, you were always unapologetically yourself and did exactly what you wanted to do.”

She finished her message of gratitude and mourning by emphasizing her family's heartbreak.“Mum has left your door open with your light on waiting for you and we'll keep waiting, till we bring you home,” she wrote. (People

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