Briton dies after being dragged into river by crocodile

A British man has died in Sri Lanka after reportedly being dragged into a river by a crocodile.

A 24-year-old British journalist, Paul McClean, who is suspected to have been killed by a crocodile. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

According to the Sun, 24-year-old journalist Paul McClean was washing his hands in the river when he was attacked by the reptile.

The paper reports that search and rescue teams combed the area - a lagoon known as Crocodile Rock - in a desperate attempt to find him alive.

Mr McClean is believed to have been a reporter for the Financial Times, having graduated from Oxford University.

It is reported that he 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.”