The Sacramento radio show behind a water drinking competition which saw one of the contestants die from apparent water intoxication has been taken off air indefinitely.

"The Morning Rave" on local station KDND 107.9 "The End" held its "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest to win a videogames console on Friday. Runner-up and mother of three Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead at her home around five hours later. The coroner said preliminary results showed apparent water intoxication.

After competing, Strange rang her employers to tell them she would not be coming into work. The Sacramento Bee reports fellow contestant Elidia Campos said: "She looked pale, her eyes were super watery, and everyone was really nauseous."

Another competitor, Victoria Myers criticised the station. She said: "They were not concerned about our health or our risk."

Station general manager John Geary said: "The circumstances regarding this matter are being examined as thoroughly as possible. We are doing everything we can to deal with this difficult situation in a manner that is both respectful and responsible. In the interim, the Morning Rave is off the air indefinitely."

Strange drank 224 ounces (6.62 litres) of bottled water. Drinking more water than the kidneys can handle reduces the concentration of solutes in the blood, so water swells cells by osmosis and causes potentially lethal damage. ®

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