Reporter Killed by Crocodile While Washing Hands in Lagoon

09/15/2017 04:51 pm EDT

A reporter for the Financial Times died on Thursday after he was believed to be attacked by a crocodile.

Paul McClean, 25, was vacationing in Sri Lanka with friends when he was attacked.

He walked away from his group to find a toilet and wash his hands when he went missing. A local fisherman saw a man presumed to be McClean being dragged from the beach into the water by a crocodile.

His bodied has since been found and identified, according to the Financial Times. His official cause of death has yet to be determined, but the animal attack is presumed to have lead his death.

"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.

Fawas Lafeer, owner of Safa Surf School located near the attack site, says that an attack like this is extremely uncommon.

"Crocodiles in Sri Lanka live only in the fresh, back waters of the jungle," Lafeer told the NY Post. "It is almost unheard of for them to come close to the beach. The salt water actually turns them blind."

McClean's peers have shared their thoughts on his passing on the Financial Times site.

"Paul was a natural," editor Lionel Barber said. "He had charm, curiosity and an attention to detail — the essential ingredients for a top reporter. He was family. We will miss him sorely."

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