THE DEATH of an Irishman in South America last Sunday has been confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The man, named locally as David Thorne (32), from Curry in Co Longford, died suddenly in Colombia’s second largest city, Medellín.
He was found dead at a hostel in the city, according to an employee of the Irish-owned hostel who declined to discuss the circumstances of his death.
“Yes, he was here,” said Andrea Pirdomo, of the PitStop Hostel in Medellín. “He was a very nice guy,” she added.
The budget hostel is popular with Irish and other European backpackers. The Irish owner was unavailable for comment.
Mr Thorne’s body being held in the Legal Medical Forensics Science in Medellín where an autopsy is being performed.
The investigation can take up to two weeks before the Mr Thorne can be repatriated to Ireland, a spokeswoman in the Irish consulate in Bogota said.
“We don’t know the cause of death,” she added.
One line of inquiry which is being followed is that Mr Thorne died of a drug overdose.