Mangaluru : A man lost his life when the van he was driving plunged into a rivulet near the vented dam cum bridge at Mattu village in Kaup police station limits on Sunday night.

According to the police, Shashidhar Shetty was driving the Maruti Omni van from Katapady village to Mattu, when he lost control over the vehicle on the dam-cum-bridge at around 10.15 p.m. on Sunday. The vehicle plunged into the river. His brother-in-law Prashanth Sriyan managed to open the window and swam to the river bank.

He then informed local people, who helped get the car to the river bank. But Shashidhar Shetty, who was in the driver’s seat, was dead. A case had been registered at Kaup police station and investigations are on, the police said.