An American outdoors writer died of an apparent heatstroke while on assignment in a Ugandan jungle, the magazine Men’s Journal said on Tuesday.
Matthew Power, 39, had accompanied a British explorer, Levison Wood, while he tried to walk the length of the Nile River, said the website of Men’s Journal, for which Power was on assignment.
He died a few hours after collapsing and losing consciousness on Monday and his travel companions believe the cause of death was heatstroke, according to the magazine.
Asan Kasingye, the head of Interpol in Uganda, said his staff in northern Uganda reported early Monday that Power died suddenly after collapsing in Ajai game reserve in northern Uganda.
“I was informed that he just dropped dead on his own,” Kasingye said.
The U.S. Embassy in Uganda is helping to repatriate Power’s remains to Uganda’s capital, Kampala, where an autopsy will be performed, he said.
Men’s Journal said Power was “a true adventurer and a principled, ethical journalist who never failed to put the accuracy of the story and the fairness in his depiction of a person, place, or situation above what worked for him as a writer.”
He had been on assignment in far-flung, often unpleasant places, covering everything from reckless fireworks displays in Mexico to a man’s quest to walk the entire length of the Amazon.
“Matt chose the hard way when it was the right way, yet somehow never failed to enjoy the journey,” Men’s Journal said of the writer.
Outside, another U.S. magazine for which Power wrote, spoke highly on Tuesday of his reporting.
“He was a fearless and compassionate journalist who did terrific work for Outside, most recently from Costa Rica, where he reported an astounding story on the murder of a sea turtle activist,” the magazine said in a statement. “He wrote with grace and humor and was always curious. He was tough but treated his story subjects with the utmost respect.”
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