In a statement released late yesterday evening, the police said that they had identified the body that was found at sea off Ghar id-dud in Sliema on 8 March.

The police said that the body was that of a 25-year-old Russian woman. The discovery of the body had created much speculation, with reports that the woman had been found with a rope tied around her neck.

The police later clarified the situation and said that she had died of asphyxia and that a plastic bag had been found around her head.

Investigations continue.