PARIS, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Former top model Katoucha, whose body was found in the river Seine this week, died of drowning and there was no indication that she had suffered any violence, police said on Friday.

According to a source close to the investigation, police believe she died accidentally. "She fell into the water and went straight to the bottom," the source said.

Katoucha, aged 47 and originally from Guinea, went missing on Jan. 31 after returning from a party to her houseboat moored near the city centre. Her bag was later found in front of her closed front door but it was weeks before her body was spotted in the river near the outskirts of Paris.

She was one of the first black African models to become a global catwalk star in the 1980s and modelled for designers including Yves Saint-Laurent and Christian Lacroix.

Born Katoucha Niane, she became a campaigner against genital mutilation, a procedure she underwent aged nine.

A police source said further tests would be carried out for traces of alcohol and drugs. (Writing by Crispian Balmer, editing by Tim Pearce)

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