Kaya Omer has been described as a "very friendly guy" (Evening Standard)
Kaya Omer has been described as a "very friendly guy" (Evening Standard)

A British tourist has been shot dead in Honduras by a gang of robbers who stole his camera.

The man, named locally as tourist Kaya Omer, 33, died when he was shot in the neck after being robbed in the Central American country's second city, San Pedro Sula.

Eyewitnesses told local media the 33-year-old businessman, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, was shot as he attempted to flee from the gunmen at colonial Trejo, an area west of the city.

Police and forensic officers were called to the scene and Omer's body was taken to a judicial morgue for a post-mortem examination.

Deputy Police Chief Leonel Sauceda said: "It looks like he put up a fight when they stole his camera, so they shot him."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Honduras and stand ready to provide consular assistance."

Omer's business partner at the property management company where he worked said she was "very shocked" at the news of his death.

Fatma Oksuzer told the Evening Standard: "Omer was a very friendly guy, soft and well-mannered. This is awful."

According to the Daily Mail, Omer was due to leave the country on 18 January before his birthday two days later.

Violent crime is rife in Honduras, with San Pedro Sula, in the north west of the country, often cited as the country's most dangerous city.

According to the United Nations, Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world, with a murder rate of 82.1 per 100,000 people in 2010. The country has also seen the number of murders doubled between 2005 and 2010.