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Hunan

Melon men drown after being chased

Two suspected melon thieves drowned in a water-filled hole in Changde's Dingcheng district on July 23. One of the men, age 21, fell into the 4-meter-deep hole at about 11 pm while being chased by a melon farmer, surnamed Chen. The other man, age 19, jumped in and tried to rescue the first, but neither were able to escape the murky depths. A third man, who was also being chased, called for help and when Chen arrived on the scene, he attempted to assist the stricken men using a long pole, to no avail.