The body of a tourist from the United Kingdom was recovered from the beach in Playa Matapalo, located in the Carrillo canton of the Guanacaste province, part of the Gold Coast of Costa Rica.

The man has been identified by officials as John Clancy, a 70-year old tourist who had checked in at the luxurious Riu Palace hotel a few days before. According to a news report published by daily tabloid Diario Extra, Mr. Clancy was scheduled to check out of the hotel on Monday.

Employees of the hotel explained that they had seen Mr. Clancy enjoying a sunny afternoon on the beach; he had been frolicking in the surf at the water’s edge when he decided to step further into the ocean. Rip current conditions were moderate on Friday afternoon; alas, local swimmers noticed Mr. Clancy being thrashed by the surf right at the point break and immediately notified hotel staff.

Mr. Clancy was pulled from the surf to the sand while paramedics from the local Red Cross chapter rushed to the scene. The emergency medical staff performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers on Mr. Clancy to no avail. He was pronounced on the beach and his body was covered and guarded by the Red Cross while they waited for forensic agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) to collect Mr. Clancy and take him to the medical examiner complex in San Joaquin, province of Heredia.

It so happens that Thomson Airways, a major air carrier from the United Kingdom, recently inaugurated service from London to the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia (LIR). The inaugural flight landed on Monday and brought more than 250 passengers, mostly from the UK. It is not known whether the dearly departed Mr. Clancy was aboard that flight, and Diario Extra did not report whether other travelers were with him during his final holiday in Costa Rica.

The Costa Rica Star hereby extends condolences to Mr. Clancy’s loved ones. His departure comes in the midst of British Week being celebrated in our country by the UK Embassy. May he rest in eternal peace.