British tourist shot dead on Caribbean holiday island
A 28-year-old British holidaymaker has been shot dead and his 21-year-old brother injured as they were preparing to fly home from the Venezuelan island of Margarita.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed the death of 28 year-old Thomas Ossel from Bedfordshire.
A spokesman said: “We can confirm the death of a British National on Margarita Island in Venezuela on July 18. We are providing consular assistance for the family.”
Mr Ossel and his brother Jack are believed to have been attacked by armed robbers as they were leaving the Posada Casa Rosa hotel. Mr Ossel was shot in the head when the pair resisted.
The Foreign Office warns that street crime in Venezuela is high and that armed muggings and express kidnappings, where the victim is abducted to extort money from someone else, are frequent.
According to a report in the Guardian, the country has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, 48 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
It said the Foreign Office had recently started alerting tourists to an increase in crime on Margarita Island, one of the most popular destinations for British visitors to Venezuela.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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