bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agencies

Sri Lankan police Friday found the body of a 24-year-old British journalist, Paul McClean, who is suspected to have been killed by a crocodile.
Divers found McClean’s corpse in the mud of a lagoon in the coastal village of Panama, 360 kilometres east of the capital Colombo by road, a police spokesman said.
“There were six or seven wounds on his right leg,” a police official said.
“The body was stuck in mud at about the same place where he was seen last by some others who were with him.”
A crocodile is believed to have dragged McClean away on Thursday afternoon, the officer said, but a postmortem examination later Friday would formally establish the cause of death.
McClean, who worked for the Financial Times, was holidaying with friends near Arugam Bay on the island’s southeast coast.


He was on a beach and had wandered away to find a toilet when he stumbled into an area known to be infested with crocodiles.
Locals heard him screaming for help as he was pulled into a river by the crocodile, according to an eyewitness cited by the BBC.
“By the time they went to the spot where the croc attacked, they couldn’t save him because already the crocodile had pulled him inside the water so they couldn’t see what was going on,” Fawas Lafeer, the owner of a surf school, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Other holidaymakers in the area alerted police after McClean disappeared and a search was mounted with the help of navy divers.

McClean, who graduated from Oxford with a first class honours degree in French, had worked for the newspaper for two years – his first job following his graduation.
He had covered the EU and Brexit, having spent a couple of months living in Brussels this year.
A friend, who asked not to be named, described McClean – whom she met at university – as “very smiley and smart”.
The FT said on its website that the cause of death had not been established but that McClean’s body had been identified by friends.
“Few details are known about the circumstances,” said Managing Editor James Lamont.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones
Crocodile attacks are rare in Sri Lanka. However, earlier this month, wildlife authorities reported that a crocodile had seriously injured a wild elephant in the south of the island.
During monsoon floods in May, authorities warned people in inundated areas to beware of stray crocodiles.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters, The Guardian


Body of Financial Times journalist killed by crocodile found in Sri Lanka

Paul McClean, an Oxford University graduate with a first-class degree in French, joined the newspaper as a graduate trainee two years ago and was most recently working for the fastFT news service. Photo: LinkedIn

(FILES) This file photo taken on February 22, 2011 shows a Sri Lankan crocodile on a river bank in the Bundala nature reserve in the southern district of Hambantota. Sri Lankan police on September 15, 2017 found the body of a 24-year-old British journalist, Paul McClean, who is suspected to have been killed by a crocodile. Divers found McClean's corpse in the mud of a lagoon in the coastal village of Panama, 360 kilometres (225 miles) east of the capital Colombo by road, a police spokesman said. / AFP PHOTO / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI

Crocodile attack: tourist tried in vain to rescue friend taken during late-night swim at northeast Australian beach

The area was well known as a crocodile habitat. Photo: AFP

Snap! French tourist bitten by Thai croc while taking selfie

A file photo of Chao Yai, the world's largest crocodile, eating a whole chicken in her pound at a crocodile farm on the outskirts of Bangkok. Photo: AFP

A zoo performer smiles as he puts his head between the jaws of a crocodile during a performance for tourists at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo, in Chonburi province, Thailand, June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

Crocodile leaps 2 metres out of Australian creek and bites off woman’s arm

(FILES) This file picture taken on March 3, 2014 shows Rex, a 700-kilogram saltwater crocodile, jumping out of the pond to eat a rabbit at the Wildlife Sydney Zoo in Sydney. Crocodile safaris for big game hunters could be underway in Australia's tropical north by the end of the year, providing much needed revenue to Aboriginal communities, a government minister said on June 23, 2015. AFP PHOTO / FILES /Saeed KHAN

Rex, a 700-kilogram saltwater crocodile, jumps out of its pond to eat a rabbit at the Wildlife Sydney Zoo. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

South Asia

Paul McClean was on a beach holiday with friends when locals heard him screaming for help as he was pulled into a river by a crocodile


Body of Financial Times journalist killed by crocodile found in Sri Lanka

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Paul McClean was on a beach holiday with friends when locals heard him screaming for help as he was pulled into a river by a crocodile

Paul McClean was on a beach holiday with friends when locals heard him screaming for help as he was pulled into a river by a crocodile