COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- 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 an eastern beach.

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

They said McClean was reported missing after he had walked some distance away 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.

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

Sri Lankan navy divers search for the body of Paul McClean after he was believed to have been attacked by a crocodile while holidaying near Panama, Sri Lanka, Sept. 15, 2017. Reuters/Stringer

Panama beach, about 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."