THE father of a Hampshire college student found dead in mysterious circumstances has paid an emotional tribute to his daughter.

Mark Longley described 17- year-old Emily as “beautiful”

and “life-loving” before he left his native New Zealand for the UK with wife Caroline.

The Brockenhurst College student’s body was found at a bungalow in Bournemouth on Saturday morning.

Police, who describe her death as unexplained, are waiting for the results of a post-mortem, which could take several weeks.

Two men, aged 19 and 17 and both from Bournemouth, were arrested on Saturday and have since been released on police bail, pending further inquiries.

Mr Longley said: “We’re incredibly upset. It’s a tragic loss of such a beautiful, lifeloving girl, and we’re dealing with that. We’re absolutely distraught and we just want to be with her.”

He said he had very little information about how Emily died.

“We have to wait. I know nothing more than what was in the police statement, and it’s quite possible that by the time I land there might be [more information] in terms of what happened to Emily,” he said.

Emily’s fellow students at Brockenhurst College returned to lectures yesterday without a classmate they described as a great girl who had always put them in a good mood.

Esme Porter, writing on a social network site where nearly 10,000 messages of condolence had been left by last night, said: “It was only Friday that we saw you in class. I can’t even believe this has happened.”

Charlie Banks said he used to spend all day in classes with Emily in a business national diploma course.

“It’s been a really tough couple of days and a massive shock to all of us,” he said.

“We came to become very good friends in class and I will always remember her for always being happy and putting me in a good mood.”

A Brockenhurst College spokeswoman said: “We are all devastated by the news but we are not able to say anything else until we have spoken to her parents.”

Emily is believed to have enjoyed two nights out with friends on Thursday and Friday evenings. She is thought to have gone out for cocktails on Friday, night and police are now trying to piece together the events which led to the discovery of her body at the bungalow in Queenswood Avenue, Strouden Park.

Floral tributes have been laid outside the property.

Bournemouth coroner Sheriff Payne has opened and adjourned an inquest, where he heard evidence of identification and was told the cause of Emily’s death is undetermined, subject to histology and toxicology tests.

Emily, a New Zealand national, had been living with her grandparents in Dingle Road in Southbourne. A family friend at the address told the Daily Echo: “The family are extremely distressed.”