British tourist killed by crocodile while swimming in Borneo

A British musician has died on holiday in Indonesia, apparently after being attacked in a river by a crocodile.

Richard Shadwell, 35, from Sutton, in Surrey, was travelling with two Canadians when he dived into the Simpangkanan River during a visit to the central Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo.

A spokeswoman from the Foreign Office confirmed that his body had been recovered from the river yesterday.

Mr Shadwell's mother Kathy, and brother Fraser said in a statement he had been in Indonesia since March and had a command of the language.

"We were informed of his disappearance while swimming behind a boat in a river in Tanjung Puting national park," they said. "It was reported that two Canadians were with him. An Indonesian swimming in the vicinity felt something under the water and warned the others to get out. Richard cried out and disappeared."

An eyewitness to the attack, a park ranger from the Orang-utan Foundation who had been accompanying Mr Shadwell, said he saw his body being pulled underwater by a crocodile. "Shortly after Mr Shadwell plunged into the river, I saw a black crocodile devour him, then he vanished," the guide called Jeki told the Indonesian News Agency.

A search party was organised to scour the park on Indonesia's side of the island, which covers a total area of 1.9 million acres, largely comprising rain forests and mangroves.

Last month another Briton fell victim to a suspected crocodile attack. The gap-year student Amy Nicholls, 18, from Barnet, north London, died while swimming in the Tsavo West National Park on the Kenya-Tanzania border.