Surrey man killed by crocodile

A British musician whose body was recovered from a river in Borneo is believed to have been attacked by a crocodile.

If confirmed, the 35-year-old Surrey man will be the second British tourist killed by a crocodile in just over a month.

The man disappeared on Sunday while on a visit to a national park in the central Kalimantan province with two Canadians and an Indonesian.

He was last seen diving into the Simpangkanan river in the Tanjung Puting national park which was said to be swollen by floods. Initial searches found no trace of him, but at dawn on Tuesday police found a body. It is still not known whether the man, who has not yet been named, drowned or was seized by a crocodile after diving in.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "There is speculation that he may have been attacked by a crocodile, but we do not know if that is what caused his disappearance. Villagers have reported seeing crocodiles in the river. The British vice consul is travelling to the region tomorrow and we are offering what assistance we can." British consular officials are contacting the man's family.

Last month 18-year-old gap year student Amy Nicholls, from Barnet, was killed by a crocodile in a Kenyan lake.

She disappeared in Lake Chala and despite a search, her remains were not found until 48 hours later when divers from the Kenyan navy dragged the 280ft deep water. She was said to have suffered horrific wounds and her right arm was missing.

A friend told how she screamed: "It's got my feet, it's a crocodile," before being whipped under water. The Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo is an increasingly popular destination for tourists hoping to see orang-utans. The park covers 753,000 hectares and is home to crocodiles, wild pigs, bear cats and pythons. The type of crocodile in the area can grow up to 15 feet long.