Indian singer drowns in Maldives

Ishmeet Singh won a national singing contest

An Indian singer has drowned while swimming in a pool at a resort in the Maldives, hotel officials say.

Ishmeet Singh, 20, topped a nationwide singing contest on a leading Indian television channel last November.

Mr Singh was in the Maldives to perform at a concert on Friday. His body has been taken to the capital, Male, officials said.

Staff say Mr Singh dived into the deep end of the swimming pool and ran into difficulties.

"We understand that he did not know how to swim and had been advised by his friends not to get to the deep end," a hotel official told the AFP news agency.

Some leading Indian singers have expressed shock at the death of the singer, who was from the northern state of Punjab.

"I was very happy when he won the contest. Such a fate to befall at such a young age," singer Lata Mangeshkar was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Singer Asha Bhonsle told a newspaper that Mr Singh's death "is a big loss".