French footballer Kenzo Kies from second division Guingamp has died at age 21 when he drowned in the river Rhône.
Guingamp and his previous club Saint-Etienne paid tribute to him in posts on X late Wednesday.
News reports said that Kies went swimming with friends amid the heat wave gripping France on Monday at a spot deemed dangerous and where swimming was prohibited.
They said that three people were rescued by the fire brigade while Kies had been in a critical condition and died later.
There has been a number of fatal swimming accidents lately in France as temperatures have soared well over 40 degrees Celsius in many areas.
Kies joined Guingamp last year and played in their reserve team, after seven years at Saint-Etienne.
