Australia rugby player dies in Spanish night club

An Australian rugby league player has been found dead in Spain after going missing on a night out with friends.

Liam Hampson’s body was found on the floor of a Barcelona nightclub after an apparent fall, local media reported.

He had been travelling in Europe with a group including National Rugby League (NRL) players, who reported him missing.

The 24-year-old’s family say they are “heartbroken” by his death, which they described as an accident.

Mr Hampson played in the Queens land Cup for the Redcliffe Dolphins, a team that will enter Australia’s top-tier NRL next season.

He had become separated from his friends when leaving the Sala Apollo nightclub in the early hours of Tuesday local time, his family said on social media.

Relatives had asked for help in searching for him, after he was not seen for more than 24 hours.

Barcelona police say Mr Hampson’s body was found by employees around midday on Wednesday, the Brisbane Times reported.

Officers believe MrHampson accidentally fell from a height of about 10m inside, the report said.

Mr Hampson’s father Brett said the family was devastated.

“Liam had a heart of gold… words cannot express our grief,” he wrote on social media.

The family said their thoughts were with the group of friends travelling with MrHampson – which included several top-tier players – who had searched for him.

“You made sure his last days were the best of his life,” his sister, TiarnaHampson, said. –BBC