Malaysian authorities Wednesday conducted a post-mortem examination on the body of a Franco-Irish teen found in the jungle after she disappeared from a resort, as her family mourned the "unbearable" loss.

The unclothed body of Nora Quoirin, 15, was discovered Tuesday in a ravine in dense rainforest after a 10-day hunt involving hundreds of people, helicopters and sniffer dogs.

She went missing from the Dusun Resort, not far from Kuala Lumpur, on August 4, a day after checking in for a holiday with her London-based family.

Her family believed the teen, who had learning difficulties, had been abducted but police classified her disappearance as a missing person case.

Her body was airlifted by helicopter out of the ravine - about 2.5 kilometers from the resort - after which it was transported to hospital and identified by her relatives.

Medics began conducting a post-mortem examination on the body on Wednesday morning, as a media scrum gathered at the hospital in Seremban town, which was guarded by armed officers. 

The autopsy took longer than expected and was set to finish in the evening, with police saying the doctors had asked for extra time.

Her relatives said that the schoolgirl was "at the heart of our family," in a statement released by The Lucie Blackman Trust, a UK charity that supports relatives of British people missing overseas. 

"She is the truest, most precious girl and we love her infinitely. The cruelty of her being taken away is unbearable. Our hearts are broken.

"We will always love our Nora."

After meeting the girl's parents, family lawyer Sankara N. Nair said they hoped "the authorities will investigate the death of their loving daughter thoroughly and explore all angles that caused her death." 

The body was found unclothed but authorities have not said if there were any signs of injury.