Brit teen, 18, dies in Malaysia on first trip abroad after collapsing on plane as tributes paid to ‘amazing young man’

A BRITISH teenager has tragically died in Malaysia after collapsing on a plane in his first trip abroad.

Ray Williams, 18, fell seriously ill with an infection during a trip to Asia to train mixed martial arts as tributes begin to flood in for the “amazing young man”.

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Ray Williams, 18, fell seriously ill with an infection during a trip abroad to train mixed martial arts[/caption]

The teenager reportedly contracted staphylococcus – a skin infection better known as staph – after developing his MMA skills in a gym in Thailand.

Staph infections are commonly caused by bacteria breaching the skin through skin-to-skin contact.

MMA fighters are prone to the illness due to the close contact during training sessions and the sharing of the mats and equipment which can often carry infected particles.

After noticing the infection, Ray was given tablets and told to rest and recover until the infection healed.

As the 18-year-old made his way back home to Bristol his condition rapidly worsened as he was admitted into intensive care in Malaysia.

Just days after being rushed to hospital Ray was pronounced dead on Wednesday.

Back home in Bristol people have been hit hard by the tragic news.

Ray’s coach and owner of Trojan Free Fighters where he was a regular said: “No words can explain the pain I feel right now.”

Mario Saeed told the BBC there was “not one person who wasn’t crying” in the gym when Ray’s death was announced.

He added: “Ray was amazing. He was so happy. He will always be with us at Trojan. Trojan is Ray.

“There were more than 100 people there, we are a very strong community together.

“People think our gym is just a gym, it’s not. We are family. We sweat, bleed and cry together everyday. “

To honour Ray, the Trojan gym and wider martial arts community in Bristol have already raised over £13,300 to pay for the teen’s family to fly out to Malaysia and say their goodbyes.