McClean, along with a group of seven friends, had been surfing Thursday on a beach known as Elephant Rock, a popular tourist destination between Arugam Bay and the city of Panama in southeast Sri Lanka. Afterward, McClean needed to use a restroom and ventured alone into a nearby area, overgrown with vegetation, to relieve himself, according to Fawas Lafeer, the owner of Safa Surf School, which is located about a mile up the coast.</s>Paul McClean, a 24-year-old British journalist for the Financial Times, died following a crocodile attack on Thursday afternoon while he was vacationing with friends in Sri Lanka, according to local authorities.

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.

"There were six or seven wounds on his right leg," a police official told AFP by telephone. "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 yesterday afternoon, the officer said, but a post-mortem examination later today would formally establish the cause of death.

British media reports said McClean, who worked for the Financial Times, was holidaying in Sri Lanka with friends.

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.

Other holidaymakers in the area alerted police after McClean disappeared and a search was mounted with the help of navy divers.

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.</s>A British journalist working for the Financial Times is thought to have been killed by a crocodile while on holiday in Sri Lanka .

Former Oxford University student Paul McClean, aged 24, was found dead in mud at a lagoon nicknamed 'Crocodile Rock,' near the coastal village of Panama in the southeast of the country. Witnesses told the Times that McClean had been seen waving in desperation as he was dragged underwater by the beast. A postmortem examination will be carried out later today.

Alex Barker, the Financial Times ' Brussels Bureau Chief, described McClean as "a first-class journalist in the making." "We were so very lucky to have him as a friend and colleague in Brussels. We’ll miss him dearly," his tribute continued.

The Financial Times ' editor, Lionel Barber, said on Twitter that McClean was a "rising star" and the team would "miss him dearly." A minute's silence was held in the news room today.

McClean joined the paper as a graduate reporter two years ago and was working at the London-based fastFT team at the time of his death.</s>A British man has died in Sri Lanka after reportedly being dragged into a river by a crocodile.

Paul McClean, who is believed to have been a reporter for the Financial Times, was washing his hands in the river when he was attacked by the reptile.

Search and rescue teams combed the area - a lagoon known as Crocodile Rock - in a desperate attempt to find him alive.

It is reported the 24-year-old was staying with four friends at the East Beach Surf Resort near Elephant Rock in the south east of the island.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are assisting the family of a British man who has died in Sri Lanka."</s>A Financial Times journalist was killed by a crocodile while washing his hands at a lagoon in Sri Lanka during a holiday with pals.

Paul McClean, 25, an Oxford University graduate, is understood to have wandered away from his group of friends to find a toilet when he was attacked.

The British victim is believed to have been dragged under water at a lagoon called Crocodile Rock near a popular surf spot after being ambushed by the reptile.

McClean graduated from Oxford with a First class honors degree in French in 2015 before joining the Financial Times later that year.

He had covered Brexit and the European Union for the newspaper and had recently returned to London after living in Brussels for a couple of months.

The lagoon, known to be crawling with crocodiles, is yards away from popular surf spot Elephant Rock near Arugam Bay on the southeast coast.

Sri Lankan police and the army are said to be searching the shore surrounding the area.

Locals claimed the victim had been staying at the East Beach Surf Resort – located just minutes away from the surfing area he went missing from.

Fawas Lafeer, owner of Safa Surf School, located up the coast from where the incident happened, said: “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.”

He added:“This is the first known crocodile attack in Sri Lanka. 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, back waters 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 attempt to locate the man’s body.”

Meanwhile, a Scottish tourist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “A British tourist was at a surf spot called Elephant rock.

“There’s a lagoon right next to the sea. He went to the toilet next to the lagoon and was grabbed by a crocodile.

“There are lots in the lagoon. People last saw his arms in the air in the water and then was grabbed under. I was there but didn’t see it happen though. Horrible.”

Click for more from The Sun.</s>"Paul is known to many of you as a talented, energetic and dedicated young journalist with a great career ahead of him at the FT," Lamont wrote. "He is a member of the fastFT team in London and joined the FT two years ago as a graduate trainee."

In a story published Friday in the Financial Times, McClean was described as "one hell of a reporter" who was "tireless when mastering a new beat." McClean, who grew up outside of London, was an avid squash player and soccer fan.

McClean graduated with honors from Oxford University in 2015 with a degree in French, according to his LinkedIn account. He previously covered Brexit and the European Union for the Financial Times in Brussels.

"Paul was an inspiration to us all in the Brussels bureau, turning out some of the most original, insightful and deeply researched journalism on Brexit since the referendum," Brussels bureau chief Alex Barker told the Financial Times. "He had a rare gift: an eye for hidden stories, writing flair and the charm to make people tell him anything and everything."

Katie Martin, head of the Financial Times' fastFT team, described McClean as "a warm, funny person and a talented young journalist with a curious mind . . . a joy to be around, truly, with an impish sense of humour."

McClean's brother, Neil, 22, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014. In an online blog, Neil McClean documented his battle with the disease, including his frequent hospital stays and efforts to find a donor for a bone-marrow transplant. He studied at the University of Glasgow.

According to the British newspaper the Telegraph, McClean's father, Peter, is director of a management consultancy firm and lives with their mother, Irene, in Surrey.

McClean was just one month shy of his 25th birthday when he died, according to the Financial Times.

McClean had been vacationing in Sri Lanka along with a group of two female friends and five male friends, the Navy spokesman said. They were staying at Green Beach Hotel, which offers cabanas and rooms about a 12 minute walk from the beach in Arugam Bay. A desk receptionist said McClean's friends were all out at the lagoon Friday morning as the Navy searched for his remains.

Elephant Rock is a popular beach among beginner's surfers because of its sandy bar and safe, shallow waters. The lagoon where McClean was attacked is located about a half mile from the beach. On a daily basis, fishermen can be seen along a nearby river, lined with mangroves and vegetation.

But, the Navy spokesman said, "the villagers, they don't use that lagoon because they know there are crocodiles." McClean, as a tourist, must not have known, he said.

Lafeer, of the nearby surf club, said three fishermen have been attacked by crocodiles in recent memory, but they have only been injured.

"This is the first time someone has died," he said.</s>A British journalist believed to have been attacked by a crocodile in Sri Lanka died of drowning, police said Saturday following a post-mortem examination.

The body of 24-year-old Paul McClean, who worked for the Financial Times, was found Friday in a coastal village lagoon a day after he went missing.

British media reports said McClean was holidaying in Sri Lanka with friends.

Authorities believe McClean was dragged away by a crocodile after he stepped into the lagoon around 360 kilometres (220 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

A post-mortem examination determined that he drowned after being bitten on his right leg, without confirming if it was a crocodile that grabbed him, a police official who had access to the autopsy report told AFP.

"There were six teeth marks of an animal on his right leg," the official said.

"There was no specific mention of a crocodile attack because the JMO (judicial medical officer) could not verify it immediately."

Local magistrate Mohamed Hilmy who visited the coastal village on Friday, ordered an inquest to be held on Monday.

The FT's managing editor James Lamont described him as "a talented, energetic and dedicated young journalist".

"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones. We are in touch with them, doing all we can to help during this difficult time," Lamont said in the paper's report on his death.

Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, said McClean, who had also worked in Brussels for the FT, was "well known and well liked".

"He was an extremely talented and dedicated young journalist. He had an exceptional eye for detail and never shied away from difficult stories," Schinas told a daily briefing in Brussels on Friday.

"But above all, Paul was a gentleman and an absolute pleasure to work with. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all in the spokespersons' service and in the wider Brussels community."

Crocodile attacks are rare in Sri Lanka but 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.</s>In this undated image issued Friday Sept. 15, 2017, by The Financial Times, showing British journalist Paul McClean who is thought to have died when attacked by a crocodile while holidaying in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan navy divers on Friday Sept. 15, 2017, found the body of McClean, a reporter for the Financial Times, after he went missing in a lagoon near the city of Panama, Sri Lanka, on Thursday afternoon.(Charlie Bibby/Financial Times via AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan navy divers on Friday found the body of a British journalist who is believed to have been attacked by a crocodile while holidaying with friends on a beach.

Police said Paul Stewart McClean, a reporter for the Financial Times, went missing in a lagoon near the city of Panama on Thursday.

They said McClean, 24, was reported missing after he had walked some distance from his friends. The Financial Times said on its website that officials told his friends he was believed to have been attacked by a crocodile.

The cause of death is yet to be established. Officials in the British Embassy in Colombo have been informed, police said.

Panama beach, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) southeast of the capital, Colombo, is famous for surfing and other beach sports.

James Lamont, the Financial Times' managing editor, described McClean as "a talented, energetic and dedicated young journalist" who had "a great career ahead of him."</s>Financial Times journalist killed in crocodile attack in Sri Lanka</s>COLOMBO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A young British journalist was dragged into a river and killed by a crocodile while holidaying in Sri Lanka, the country's navy said on Friday.

Paul McClean, 24, who worked in London for the Financial Times, had been on a surfing holiday in the popular eastern coastal area of Arugambay when the incident occurred on Thursday, the navy said. His body was found on Friday.

"The navy was able to recover the body of a foreigner who had been snatched by a crocodile on September 14," the Sri Lankan navy said in a statement.

The BBC quoted an eyewitness as saying local people had heard him screaming for help as he was pulled into the river.

"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," it quoted Fawas Lafeer, the owner of a surf school, as saying.

McClean, an Oxford University graduate with a first-class degree in French, joined the FT as a graduate trainee two years ago and worked most recently for the fastFT news service.

The FT's managing editor James Lamont described McClean as "a talented, energetic and dedicated young journalist" who had had "a great career ahead of him" at the newspaper.

"Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones," Lamont said. (Reporting by Costas Pitas and Guy Faulconbridge in London and Ranga Sirilal in Colombo; Editing by Gareth Jones)
A journalist for the British newspaper Financial Times is killed by a crocodile in Sri Lanka.