Teenager drowns while copying K-Pop star Lisa by posing for pictures in lotus pond

A teenager drowned while copying K-Pop star Lisa by posing for pictures in a lotus pond.

Naphat Songsri, 19, rowed out with his friends to take selfies as the aquatic flowers bloomed at the reservoir in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast Thailand on February 1.

The youngsters were said to have leaned on one side of the wooden boat to imitate Lisa's pose for tourism promotional posters, causing the vessel to capsize.

Two of the teenagers managed to swim back to shore, but Naphat failed to surface from under the tangled mess of lotus plants that were scattered across the water.

Rescue teams rushed to the pond after receiving a report at 6:30 pm local time.

Footage shows personnel, armed with diving equipment, wading into the pond to search for the missing youngster.

They found the lifeless Naphat at the bottom of the 6ft-deep reservoir, and carried his body back to the banks, where he was handed over to grieving relatives.

A paramedic from the Hook 31 rescue team said: 'It is believed that Mr Naphat was possibly a weak swimmer or his legs became entangled in lotus stems, causing him to drown.'

A police spokesman added: 'The Chokchai district station expresses its condolences to the family of the deceased and reminds all villagers to be cautious of water accidents that can happen at any time.

'The rescue team has transported the body for examination to confirm the exact cause of death. After the process is complete, relatives will be contacted to collect the body for religious rites.'

The teenagers were reportedly mimicking K-pop star Lisa of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, who recently partnered with tourism chiefs to promote the 'Red Lotus Sea' in Udon Thani province.

The campaign shows the aspiring rapper aboard a boat as she poses in the middle of blooming pink lotuses at daybreak - the time when the flowers open up with the morning sun.

Blackpink's Lisa, born Lalisa Manoban, is from the northeast of Thailand and is in a relationship with Louis Vuitton heir Frederic Arnault. The music has been successful in Asia, but it remains a niche taste in the developed world.