Second rugby player dies after visit to nightclub in Sri Lanka

Tragedy: Tom Baty A SECOND British amateur rugby player has died on tour in Sri Lanka, his club has confirmed.

In a statement, Durham City Rugby Football Club said it was with “great sadness” that it announced the passing of 26-yearold Tom Baty yesterday afternoon.

It follows the death of his teammate, Thomas Howard (25), after the pair were both admitted to hospital in the city of Colombo on Sunday complaining of breathing difficulties after returning from a nightclub.

Mr Howard’s death was confirmed in a club statement which was issued on Monday.

The players, both from Durham, were on tour with one of the club’s teams called the Clems Pirates.

In a statement released yesterday, the club requested that the privacy of their families be “respected and upheld at this difficult time”.

The club previously said that in both cases the breathing problems were non-rugby related.

In a statement released on Monday following the announcement of Mr Howard’s death, Durham City RFC president Richard Wilkinson said: “Both players and Clems Pirates hold a special place in our rugby family, and our continued support is unconditional.

“We will also continue to support the Clems’ Sri Lankan tour party by being in regular contact with senior club officials out in Sri Lanka.”

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said it was assisting families of two British men.

The BBC reported that police in Sri Lanka had said some British players went to Colombo’s Cleopatra nightclub after the match and returned to their hotel in the early hours of Sunday.

Security camera footage from the nightclub is being examined in a bid to find out what happened. It is understood that no internal or external bleeding injuries were found by a medical officer.

A spokesman for Durham Police said the families were being supported by officers.