A 78-year-old man died of a heart attack as he swam in a relay race from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu's Dhanushkodi.
Gopal Rao from Bengaluru was third in the row among 31 swimmers who held a relay swimming event from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram.
The swimmers, including Mr Rao, had left for Talaimannar on a boat from Rameswaram on April 22 and began swimming early morning today.
In the middle of the race, Mr Rao complained of uneasiness and was helped onto a boat accompanying the swimmers. The medical team that attended to him on the boat pronounced him dead.
The other swimmers cancelled the event and reached the Dhanushkodi islet by boat.
The body has been sent for an autopsy to the Rameswaram Government Hospital and the Rameswaram Town police have registered a case.
As per the police, the swimmers had all necessary clearances from the Indian and Sri Lankan governments for the event.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Man, 25, Dies After Heart Attack In Delhi Zoo, Shocked Wife Jumps To Death Soldier On Leave Dies Of Heart Attack While Playing Cricket In Madhya Pradesh UP Man, 35, Dies Of Heart Attack In Mall While On Way To Watch Movie Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest "Violation Of Sovereignty, Abuse Of Power": Kanwal Sibal On US Report On Adani Group Indian Student In US Accidentally Shoots Himself Dead While Celebrating Birthday Ather 450, Rizta Electric Scooters Now Get 8-Year Battery Warranty 5 Things To Know About Pam Bondi, Trump's New Choice For Attorney General Has There Been An Undercount Of Punjab Farm Fires? What Satellite Pics Show Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.