A man has been charged with the suspected rape and murder of a Donegal woman in India.

A murder investigation was launched after 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin's body was found near a beach in Goa on Tuesday.

The Buncrana native was last seen leaving a party on Palolem Beach - a popular tourist resort - on Monday night.

An Indian national in his twenties has appeared in court charged with her murder after a post mortem confirmed she was strangled and raped.

Officers arrested the man after obtaining CCTV images reportedly showing him with Ms McLaughlin in a number of locations.

Michael Safi, South Asia correspondent for The Guardian, told Newstalk Breakfast he is a well known criminal in the local area.

Buncrana parish priest Father Francis Bradley has been in close contact with Ms McLaughlin’s family since news of the tragedy broke:

“Well they are bearing up remarkably well, they are tremendously resilient people,” he said. “The pain of this loss, the tragedy associated with it, the heartbreak of a mother and sisters for Danielle is significant.”

Since yesterday, nearly €35,000 has been raised through gofundme to help the family repatriate Danielle's remains.

Colin Bell from the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust said the body could be released tomorrow:

”I’ve spoken with Amy from the Department of Foreign Affairs who is out in Goa and I have also spoken  with the Foreign Office in England who are also involved and they are both hopeful now that the body could be released tomorrow,” he said.

“Once the body is released and prepared Danielle will be flown to Mumbai and from there she will be taken home as soon as possible.”

Ms McLaughlin was born in Glasgow and grew up in Buncrana before attending university in Liverpool.

She left Ireland to go travelling in February.