German police investigate death of Mexican student

Friends of the student handed out flyers in the city

Police in Berlin say they will carry out a post-mortem examination on the body of a 24-year-old Mexican student who was found dead in a canal.

María Fernanda Sánchez had gone missing in the German capital, where she was studying for a master's degree, on 22 July.

A walker found her body in the Adlershof neighbourhood on Saturday.

Hundreds of people had joined the hunt for Ms Sánchez and Interpol had issued a search notice for her.

Police said the young woman had left her student residence in the south-east of Berlin on 22 July.

Ms Sánchez's parents began to worry when they could not reach her the following day and flew out to Berlin to join the search for their daughter.

Her laptop and mobile phone were found in her room.

Friends and fellow students organised search parties and handed out flyers throughout the city.

German police said that there were indications that Ms Sánchez - whose nickname was Maffy - was "in a psychologically fragile situation" when she disappeared.

Her father told media in Mexico that his daughter had been in Berlin for around five months and that while she was missing her friends and family in Mexico, her friends told him that she was very positive and full of plans for the future.

Police said that had received 120 tip-offs. But shortly after a vigil attended by her parents on Saturday, her body was spotted by a walker in the Teltow canal.

A police spokeswoman said that there was "no indication of external influences" in the death of the student.

But officials later announced that a post-mortem would be carried out.