Mangaluru: An 18-year old youth lost his life after drowning while he was swimming in a river in Belthangady, 60km from Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday evening.

The deceased is identified as Hari Prasad, a resident of Gerukatte village in Belthangady.

It is said that a group of five friends were playing in a river in Belthangady, when Hari Prasad, who was one among them slipped and went on drowning. The nearby people who observed him drowning immediately rushed for his rescue, where his friends were screaming for help. They removed Hari Prasad from the deep water, but untill then Hari Prasad had breathed his last.

A case has been registered in Belthangady police station.