The body of Paul McClean, a Financial Times journalist who is said to have been killed by a crocodile in a lagoon in south-east of Sri Lanka has been identified by his friends.
McClean was on holiday in Sri Lanka taking surfing lessons with friends while he was attacked by a crocodile in a lagoon. Witnesses said he had wandered away to find a toilet when he stumbled into an area known to be infested with crocodiles. He was pulled into the water while washing his hands witnesses said. Police said the body of the 24-year-old journalist had been recovered a day after.
A foreign visitor said people last saw his arms in the air in the water and then was grabbed under, adding that he was 90% sure it was a crocodile ‘but a couple of the guys said there was quicksand in the lagoon’.
The owner of the surf school said there is a river connected to Elephant Rock, an area popular with tourists. “The river is deep and murky, it is not very clear,” he said. The final cause of death has yet to be established.
Locals have said this is the first time anything like this has happened. Elephant Rock is said to be a safe area to surf. It is located south of Arugam Bay, which is known as a surfer’s paradise, and is an isolated beach about 3 km to the south.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones,” said James Lamont, the FT’s managing editor, according to press reports. He described McClean, who was just a month shy of his 25th birthday, as ‘a talented, energetic and dedicated young journalist’ who had ‘a great career ahead of him at the FT’. In his previous posting, McClean had been working in Brussels. He graduated from Oxford with a First class honours degree in French in 2015 before joining the FT later that year.
Crocodile attacks are rare in Sri Lanka. 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 be aware of stray crocodiles.
