The parents of a Northern Irish teenager who died while on holiday in Bulgaria say they are "devastated" following his death.
Daniel Smyth, 19, from Coleraine in Derry, collapsed in his hotel bathroom on Sunday, and died instantly, Belfast Live reports.
His post-mortem has since found he had cardiac arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat, that had gone undiagnosed and was a "ticking time bomb", his family have said.
His family is now raising money to bring the teenager, described as a "beautiful soul to everyone he ever met", home.
READ MORE: Irish Titanic explorer confirms safety after tourist sub goes missing with five onboard
Speaking from her home in Coleraine, Daniel's cousin Ellen Devenney-Adams said: "He had a heart condition, which he did not know about. It was a ticking time bomb basically because it was inevitable, it just happened to occur when he was on holiday."
Daniel went to bed early on Saturday night feeling poorly and woke in the early hours as a result. He went into the bathroom, but collapsed, smashing into and breaking part of the toilet, shower door and sink.
This flooded the bathroom and caused a leak in the hotel, which alerted staff to find Daniel's body.
He'd had a drink on Saturday evening but the post-mortem confirmed alcohol played no part in his death whatsoever.
The teenager, had been accepted to study at Norwich University of the Arts, having completed a course in Interactive, Creative Media at college.
His mother, Jema McAuley, has given her thanks to the community following an outpouring of grief and support in the Co Derry town.
Writing on social media on Sunday, she said: "We are all devastated over here over the tragic accident Daniel had [in the] early hours of this morning in his hotel bathroom.
"I don't really know what to say but Martin J Smyth and myself want to thank all of you for your messages and thank you to our families who have been amazing. There has been that many messages I can't bear to look at them, but thank you so much for all your support."
She added: "Fly high my baby boy. Love you so much."
In an online fundraising appeal, that has raised thousands of pounds to cover repatriation and funeral costs, Daniel's cousin Ellen wrote: "Daniel’s death has sent shockwaves of heartbreak throughout our entire family and his circle of friends.
"Daniel had the most cheeky, infectious smile and was kind and loving to everyone he came in contact with. Our family will truly never be the same without him."
She continued: "He was destined for the greatest things in life and we want to bring him home and give him the biggest and best send off without any pressure on his grieving parents.
"The whole town has had the kindest words to say about Daniel and we couldn’t be more proud to know he was just a beautiful soul to everyone he ever met. We as a family will take comfort in your kind words for days and years to come while we process to loss of our Daniel Ganky Smyth."
A total of £14,300 (€16,700) had been raised, with a target of £5,000 (€5,800), at the time of writing.
The online fundraiser can be accessed via GoFundMe here.
Join our new WhatsApp community for the Irish Mirror. Click this link to receive to get breaking news and top headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
READ NEXT:
- Victim of homophobic attack in Dublin provides positive update as Garda report filed
- Man brutally attacked on Dublin Bus after challenging homophobic thugs
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
