Second rugby player from Durham team dies in Sri Lanka - Ruck

Second rugby player from Durham team dies in Sri Lanka

A second visiting English amateur rugby player has died in a Sri Lankan hospital after visiting a nightclub and police are now investigating the circumstances, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Thomas Howard, 25, and Tom Baty, 26, developed breathing difficulties on Sunday morning after returning from the club in Colombo and were rushed to the main state-run hospital in the capital.

Howard died shortly after admission, police said. Baty was transferred to the intensive care unit of a private hospital where he died on Tuesday, a police statement said.


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“An autopsy on Howard has revealed that he did not die due to any external injuries or any illness,” said police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera.

The spokesman added that a judicial medical officer had given an “open verdict” on the deaths and “further forensic tests are being carried out”.