British man killed by crocodile in Sri Lanka
A JOURNALIST from the Financial Times was killed by a crocodile whilst washing his hands in a lagoon in Sri Lanka during a holiday with friends.
Paul Mcclean, 24, an Oxford University graduate, is believed to have wandered off from friends in order to go to the toilet, before being ambushed by the reptile as he dipped his hands in the water. He is said to have been seen “waving his hands in the air” in desperation before being dragged under water at a lagoon known as Crocodile Rock, located just just minutes from a popular surfing beach.
It is believed Mr Mcclean had only arrived in the country within the last few days and was staying at a nearby hotel with a group of friends.
He graduated from Oxford with a first class honours degree in French in 2015 before joining the FT later that year. He most recently covered Brexit for the newspaper and had recently spent time living in Brussels before returning to London earlier this year.
Fawas Lafeer, owner of Safa Surf School, up the coast from where the incident happened, said: “This afternoon at about 3.15pm there was an incident involving a tourist at Elephant Rock surf spot, near Aragum Bay.
“A local fisherman witnessed a man being dragged into a river, set back from the beach, by a crocodile. The fisherman was on the opposite side of the river and downstream of the incident location.
“The police were called immediately.” Mr Lafeer added that Mr Mcclean was “on a surfing trip organised by the hotel he was staying at. He headed away from the beach into the jungle about 900m away from the shore.”
He said: “Both tourists and locals surf at Elephant Rock, which is a beautiful secluded beach and very safe. Crocodiles in Sri Lanka live only in the fresh, backwaters of the jungle. It is almost unheard-of for them to come close to the beach. The salt water actually turns them blind.
“Local search and rescue teams are working alongside the police and British Embassy in an attempt to locate the man’s body. They can’t do anything because the river is deep and murky, it is not very clear. They have sent out the navy, army and the task force, but I doubt they will find the body.
“The crocodiles take the bodies along-river and hide them in the mud, so I don’t think he will be found until the day after tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, a Scottish man staying in the area, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “A few people that knew the guy were just on the ground; I didn’t get that close but they all just seemed in shock and not saying much.
“There were a large crowd of Sri Lankan men surrounding them.”
A colleague of Mr Mcclean on the Financial Times said: “Were all totally stunned. He was a great kid, an Everton fan, super bright. It’s an absolute tragedy.”
Mr Mcclean’s most recent article, about the champagne industry, was published on Tuesday.
Mr Mcclean’s brother, Neil, 22, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014 and has documented his fight against the disease in a light-hearted online blog.
Whilst in remission, he returned to his studies at Glasgow University but relapsed in 2016 and was waiting for a stem cell transplant after doctors said that it was his best hope of a long-term recovery. Their father Peter is director of a management consultancy firm and lives with their mother, Irene, in Surrey.