A 36-year-old man, Mayamiko Chirwa, has drowned on Lake Malawi in Likoma District.

Deputy Public Relations Officer for Likoma Police Station, Chisomo Thomson, said Chirwa who hailed from Kande Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Fukamapiri in Nkhata Bay District lost balance and fell into the lake.

“According to a report, the deceased left his house in Tuesday morning while drunk to take a bath in the shallow waters of the lake and as he was bathing, he lost balance and fell into the lake.

“He was spotted by children who were playing and shouted for help from passersby who rushed him to St Peter’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival,” said Thomson.

Thomson said postmortem results indicated that the deceased died due to suffocation.

Meanwhile, police in the district have advised people to avoid being closer to the lake while drunk to prevent similar incidents.