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.
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