British missionary found burned to death in Peruvian Amazon

A British environmental activist and missionary has been found burned to death at a youth hostel he ran in the Amazon in Peru.

Paul McAuley, 71, was found dead at the hostel he founded for indigenous students in the city of Iquitos.

Authorities have questioned six youths from the community who lived at the hostel since Mr McAuley’s body was found on Tuesday.

The activist had been working to help Peru’s discriminated tribes in the fight against oil and mining interests.

Director of Peru Programs at Environmental Investigation Agency, Julia Urrunaga, tweeted: “What tough news. A great man who did a lot for indigenous communities, their rights and the forests.”

The La Salle Christian Brothers, which is a religious group that Mr McAuley was part of, said in a statement that the activist had been found burned to death.

A student told the news outlet El Comercio: “Yesterday we were talking together and today we see this painful scene.

“We want to investigate because he, who has taken us for so many years and has given us everything, has been murdered”.

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Mc McAuley, who was born in Portsmouth, had lived in Peru for 20 years and had been awarded an MBE for establishing a school in a poor area of Lima.

In 2010, the Peruvian government tried to strip him of his residency as they claimed he was inciting unrest after he fought attempts to open up the Amazon to drilling.

However hundreds of people protested against the government and to support Mr McAuley so he was then allowed to stay in Peru.

The Environmental Investigation Agency said Mr McAuley’s “death should be investigated”.