A man drowned in the sea off the Teluk Chempedak beach here Sunday as he was swimming with several friends, police said.

M. Jeghatis, 22, of Taman Sentosa, Klang, Selangor, drowned at about 1.40pm, said Kuantan Police chief ACP Abdul Aziz Salleh.

He said the friends tried in vain to pull him out of the water and sought the help of other people on the beach.

Several people pulled Jeghatis out of the water but he had died, he added.

The body was sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, he said.