Young French dies after trying to comply challenge on Facebook

A young Frenchman, 19, died drowned Thursday in béganne, in northwestern France, while a friend recorded it on video, as part of a fashion challenges that spreads through the social network Facebook, said yesterday the prosecution.

“The young man drowned after jumping into water with his bicycle as part of a challenge leau ou au resto (to water or restaurant) of Facebook,” said spokesman for the prosecutor, Igor Souchu, who described the practice as “dramatic and stupid “game.

The Leau ou au rest consists in a disguised person record on videotape how dives into a lake, river, pool or sea, sometimes with humanitarian or charitable pretenses.

Then the guy puts the video on Facebook and challenge three friends to imitate this practice in the next 48 hours. If not, they must pay a dinner at a restaurant originator of the challenge.

Leau ou au rest did not cause alarm until the end of last May a young man seriously injured in the head at the town of Wimereux, in the west of the country, accident that will leave him irreversible consequences, according to doctors.