Brazilian soap opera actor drowns on set

Brazilian authorities say a well-known actor has drowned in a river where the crew had recorded scenes for a popular soap opera.

Authorities say Domingos Montagner never emerged from a swim on Thursday afternoon in the Sao Francisco River in Caninde, a small town in the northeastern state of Sergipe.

Jose Aparecido Cardoso, director of the state Legal Medical Institute, told G1 news that Montagner's body was found 18 metres below the surface and 320 metres from where he was last seen.

The 54-year-old Montagner starred in the Velho Chico' soap opera as a farmer who often had to fight off gunmen.